Nigeria records about 42,700 AIDS-related deaths annually, including 14,400 children and 14,500 women, according to the National Secretary of the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Nicholas Ugbenyen. He made the disclosure during a Candlelight event in Abuja yesterday, held to commemorate World AIDS Day 2024 and remember those who have died from HIV/AIDS.
Ugbenyen called for a policy shift to eliminate HIV among children, with the goal of ending AIDS in Nigeria by 2030. He urged all stakeholders to support policies and provide funding focused on the prevention and treatment of HIV in children, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovative solutions to strengthen the HIV response, particularly in pediatric care.
Dr. Temitope Ilori, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), appealed to people living with HIV to seek care, avoid self-isolation, and continue their treatment to suppress the virus. She emphasized NACA’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian has access to HIV screening, counseling, and treatment. “We want to stop mother-to-child transmission of HIV and ensure that no child is born with HIV,” she said, stressing the need to create a generation free of HIV.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) also marked World AIDS Day with an event in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where Country Programme Director, Dr. Eche Ijezie, urged the public, particularly adolescents, to know their HIV status and avoid risky behaviors. He stressed the importance of abstinence and, where abstinence is not possible, avoiding unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners. “We must encourage everyone to test and know their status. The tests are free, and condoms are available,” Ijezie said.
Mrs. Elizabeth Udoh, the Akwa Ibom State Coordinator for the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, thanked AHF for its initiative and the support of its partners. Mrs. Grace Umosen, Executive Director of Drug Free and Preventive Healthcare, also praised the event, highlighting the free HIV tests and condoms distributed to attendees.
As Nigeria observes World AIDS Day 2024, health experts and organizations continue to call for greater awareness, prevention, and access to treatment to combat the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis in the country.
