The federal government has established a multidisciplinary committee to eliminate the transmission of HIV from mothers to children in Nigeria.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, launched the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Pediatric HIV Programme Committee in Abuja on Thursday.
Alausa highlighted that Nigeria accounts for 25% of global mother-to-child HIV transmission and emphasized the ministry’s commitment to collaborating with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) to ensure that no child is born with HIV, thereby eradicating vertical transmission.
“As you are aware, Nigeria contributes 25% of the global burden of HIV transmission between mothers and their children,” Alausa said.
“Despite testing approximately 4 million pregnant women in 2023, our PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission) and pediatric HIV coverage remain at about 35%, falling significantly short of the 95% target.
“Through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), we will provide effective governance for this programme.
“Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and ensuring care for all persons living with HIV, especially our children, aligns with the renewed hope agenda of Mr President.”
Also speaking, Temitope Ilori, the director-general of NACA, expressed concern over the low coverage of PMTCT and pediatric HIV in Nigeria.
Ilori said about 140,000 children below 14 years old are living with HIV as of 2023, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurring among underage people.
The NACA DG noted that the newly constituted committee will drive the implementation of the initiative, in line with the sector-wide approach to health care in Nigeria.
“Nigeria faces a critical challenge in preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and ensuring access to care for children living with HIV,” Ilori said.
“The objective of today’s meeting is to formally inaugurate the acceleration plan committee to provide oversight to the PMTCT and pediatric HIV programme implementation in line with the three-one principle of one coordinating agency, one strategic framework, and one M&E system.”
