A new global report by UNAIDS indicates that new HIV infections in Nigeria have declined by 35% in the past three years. The Gap report released in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday also indicates that Nigeria is part of the countries in the world that realized a rapid increase in the number of people living with HIV that are accessing Antiretroviral therapy. According to the UNAIDS Country Director in Nigeria, Dr. Bilali Camara, the decline in new infections is a clear sign that the government of Nigeria is steering the HIV response in the right direction and much progress can be realized if more resources are committed to the cause. New infections according to the report showed signs of decline while about 640,000 people in Nigeria were on antiretroviral therapy in 2013. There is a need for much more work to be done in the country in order to eliminate HIV by 2030, the report said. HIV testing is critical to the provision of care and treatment. In line with the Presidents Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, if Nigeria commits resources to helping 80 million people in the country to know their HIV status by end of 2015, more people can be put on treatment and new infections and AIDS-related deaths could drop drastically, Camara said. The report highlights eight action points to support ending the AIDS epidemic, including: securing leadership, protection of human rights, investing in communities, focusing on local epidemics and populations, decentralizing delivery of HIV services, expanding the choices for HIV prevention and treatment, integrating HIV programmes with other health and development programmes, as well as innovating and investing in science for a cure and vaccine
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 17:38:39 +0000
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