Africa: Dwindling Funds, Dearth of Personnel Impede Fight Against HIV/Aids

Abuja — A total of 3.2 million persons are currently living with the HIV (Human Immuno Deficiency Virus) in Nigeria, making the national HIV prevalence rate to stand at 3.2%. The current prevalence rate represents a drop from the 3.5% prevalence statistics recorded in the country over the last decade, thanks to the financial and technical assistance from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through the Ministry of Health (MOH) to mitigate the epidemic and implement an effective national HIV treatment programme.

However,

unless urgent steps are taken by the Federal Government to take full ownership of funding and supply of commodities and drugs for management of the epidemic, the gains made, especially in the reversal of spread of the virus through Prevention of Mother to Child transmission may collapse, leading to resurgence and new deaths by the virus.

According to the UNAIDS, Nigeria is estimated to have the second highest burden of HIV in the world, second only to South Africa. The UNAIDS through research attributed the high infection transmission rate of the virus in Nigeria to Mother To Child Transmission (MTC), necessitating the extensive funding of the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTC) across the country through PEPFAR funding. This support contributed significantly to saving the lives of men, women and children through HIV treatment services and a robust combination prevention strategy, and the reduction of national prevalence rate from 3.5% to 3.2%.

Former U.S. President, George Bush had before his exit signed into law, an act to extended the U.S. government's commitment in Nigeria and elsewhere to an additional 5 years in funding the fight against HIV, down from the 2009 fiscal year when it first commenced, to 2013 fiscal year which it set to discontinue funding for the epidemic. However, the US government had variously urged the Nigerian government then under Olusegun Obasanjo to evolve ways of taking over sponsorship of the program in full to prevent a relapse of the gains so far made.