To address the gaps in testing and preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, the Federal Government has initiated the PMTCT/Paediatrics AIDS Acceleration Plan Committee.
This committee aligns with global best practices in an effort to achieve zero transmission of HIV from mothers to newborns.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, emphasized the importance of reversing Nigeria’s negative contribution to the global burden of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Nigeria aims to reach the 2030 target by prioritizing efforts to combat this transmission and improve care access for children living with HIV.
Recent data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS highlights the urgent need for action, as there are an estimated 170,000 children under 14 living with HIV in Nigeria.
With 26,000 new infections and 17,000 AIDS-related deaths among children, it is clear that current PMTCT and pediatric HIV coverage is significantly below the desired 95% target, standing at less than 35%. Despite the 2021 Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children Action Plan, progress has been slow, with service coverage remaining unchanged.
Dr. Alausa expressed concerns over the lack of substantial progress three years after the action plan was initiated. It is crucial to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission and ensure comprehensive care for individuals living with the virus, particularly children.
This commitment mirrors President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for renewed hope and underscores the government’s dedication to improving the health outcomes of those affected by HIV in Nigeria.
The minister noted, “As a country, this is a moral duty we owe to this generation. In line with global best practices, I will inaugurate this multi-sectoral committee, comprising technocrats and bureaucrats, to ensure we deliver on this mandate, tracking implementation along the four pillars of our plan.
“Early testing and optimized comprehensive, high-quality treatment and care for infants, children, and adolescents living with HIV and children exposed to HIV. Closing the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV and optimizing continuity of treatment towards eliminating vertical transmission.
“Preventing and detecting new HIV infections among pregnant, breastfeeding adolescents and women and addressing social and structural barriers that hinder access to services.”
The initiative aims to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission and pediatric HIV, while also enhancing antenatal care, health outcomes for women of childbearing age, and reducing mortality rates among children under five.
Alausa stated, “We will collaborate with executive governors, their spouses, state ministries of health, state agencies for the control of AIDS, lead implementing partners in the states, and all other stakeholders to achieve this goal at the sub-national level. We will also create committees to track their states’ responses and provide feedback to us at the national level.
“As you are aware, Nigeria contributes 25 per cent of the global burden of HIV transmission between mothers and their children. Despite testing approximately 4 million pregnant women in 2023, our PMTCT and pediatric HIV coverage remains at about 35 per cent, falling significantly short of the 95 per cent target.”
The Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, expressed her desire for a future where no Nigerian child is born with HIV.
She emphasized the need for collective effort to tackle the country’s significant contribution to mother-to-child HIV transmission and pediatric HIV, acknowledging the challenges Nigeria faces in preventing mother-to-child transmission and providing access to care for HIV-positive children.
The NACA DG noted, “Our epidemiological estimates say 140, 000 children under 14 are living with HIV as of 2023, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths in children. Current PMTCT and pediatric HIV coverage remain alarmingly low at less than 33 per cent, far short of the 95 per cent target.
“In 2021, national and state-level data analysis with consultations with states led to the development of Nigeria’s Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children Action Plan. This was designed to scale up PMTCT efforts and paediatric HIV addressing the coverage gaps.
According to her, despite this comprehensive strategy and accompanying financial commitment, the country’s PMTCT and paediatric HIV coverage remains critically low.
“Consequently, the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare constituted this acceleration plan committee to drive the implementation of this crucial initiative in line with the sector-wide approach to health care in Nigeria.
“The objective of today’s meeting is to formally inaugurate the acceleration plan committee to provide oversight to the PMTCT and Paediatric HIV programme implementation in line with the three-one principle of one coordinating agency, one strategic framework, and one M&E system.
“The government-mandated structures must be supported to lead implementation at all levels in line with our New Business Model and explore the multi-sectoral approach to ending HIV and AIDS among our children”, she noted.
Further speaking, PEPFAR Nigeria’s Country Coordinator, Funmi Adesanya, mentioned, “The US Government through the President’s emergency plan for AIDS relief has invested 8.3 billion US Dollars over the last 21 years to eliminate HIV as a public health threat by 2030 here in Nigeria.
“These resources have been invested in health systems strengthening, health products including ARVs and rapid test kits, Human Resources and surge staff.
“We commend the leadership of the Government of Nigeria for your vision and for convening us to address this urgent issue because it is an emergency.
“No child in Nigeria should be born with HIV and the U.S. Government is committed to our partnership to ensure that this is a reality. Now is the time and we believe that we have the right leadership represented in this room to achieve this goal.”
