AIDS: Treatment of 1.5m Patients Key to Sustaining Control of HIV Annually — NACA

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An estimated 1.8 million people are living with HIV in Nigeria.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) says treatment of at least 1.5 million Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV) is key to sustaining control of HIV annually in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NACA, Gambo Aliyu, said this during a 2020 quarterly HIV facts sheet in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr Aliyu, who expressed the commitment of the agency to reaching the UN Joint Action on AIDS (UNAIDS) target for epidemic control in the next three years, said it would cost about N75 billion.

“1.3 million is the current HIV prevalence rate nationwide and in the last 10 years, we have invested $6.2 billion for treatment.

“Over $5 billion of the above (N2.1 trillion) comes from International donors,” he said.

Mr Aliyu reiterated the agency’s willingness to drastically reduce transmission through regular testings and identifications.

According to him, HIV is at the verge of being controlled by the time we have 99 per cent of persons living with HIV tested and placed on drugs.

The director-general disclosed the plan of the agency to bring in states into the sponsorship of treatment in order to sustain control of the epidemic.

Mr Aliyu said the agency has the capacity to simultaneously fight HIV while COVID-19 lasted.