The Nigerian government has inaugurated a committee to accelerate the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and eliminate paediatric AIDS. The committee, chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, aims to close the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV and ensure continuity of treatment to eliminate vertical transmission.
Speaking at the inauguration, Alausa said the committee will coordinate efforts to reduce the spread of HIV among children and ensure that no child is born HIV-positive. He also announced plans to improve prevention and early detection of new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding women and address social and structural barriers to access to services.
The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), Temitope Ilori, noted that despite efforts, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric HIV coverage remain critically low in Nigeria. She called for increased partnership and commitment to ending the epidemic by 2030.
The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Coordinator in Nigeria, Funmi Adesanya, reiterated the need for collective action to achieve the global target of eliminating the epidemic. She expressed the US government’s commitment to partnering with Nigeria to ensure that no child is born with HIV.
The committee’s efforts aim to improve antenatal coverage, health outcomes for women of childbearing age, and under-5 mortality rates in Nigeria.
