Children’s Day: Nigeria Accounts for Significant Proportion of Children Living With HIV
- NACA is has joined many Nigerians to celebrate children's day
- The agency encouraged pregnant women to always get tested to avoid mother-to-child transmission
- According to the agency, no Nigerian child should be born with HIV
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As Nigeria celebrates children today, May 27, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, has said that the country contributes to a significant proportion of children living with HIV/AIDS around the globe.
A statement signed by Toyin Aderibigbe, the head of public relations and protocol in NACA, and seen by Legit.ng said the agency wants every Nigerian to always remember children living with HIV and their families.
Aderibigbe said the burden faced by the country due to this challenge can be attributed to the lack of the utilisation of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV services by pregnant women in Nigeria.
According to Aderibigbe, while a substantial amount of progress has been recorded in the antiretroviral coverage for pregnant women living with HIV, the transmission of the virus from mother to child is still high.
Source: Twitter
She said that approximately, 9,999 pregnant women tested positive in 2020 out of 2,504,678 pregnant mothers who tested for HIV.
In his address, the director-general of NACA, Gambo Aliyu, said it is totally unacceptable for any child to be born with HIV in Nigeria.
To commemorate this year's children's day, Aliyu said NACA is encouraging every Nigerian to join the agency in the fight against HIV in children.
He said this can be achieved by ensuring that any mother is encouraged to get tested for HIV to prevent its transmission to their unborn children.
Aliyu said:
"In 2020, Nigeria successfully increased Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services sites to over 6,000 sites with 37,111 pregnant women receiving antiretroviral treatment."
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He also assured that a HIV-free generation is possible when all hands are on deck to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a young woman had confirmed that to avoid mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The women said it is possible that couple infected with HIV can give birth to children who are HIV negative.
In other news, the DG of NACA decried the increased number of death of people living with HIV due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aliyu said that 430,000 people died of HIV which was triggered by the six months COVID-19 lockdown.
Source: Legit.ng
