Nigeria Records 281,000Case Of Hiv Annually – Fg

The Federal Government
on Monday in Abuja
expressed appreciation on
the significant progress
made in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, but declared that
the country records
281,000 new infections
yearly.
According to the Federal
Government, only 400,000
persons living with the
disease are receiving
drugs out of the 3 million
people currently affected.
About 1.5 million people
are required to be on life
saving anti-retroviral
drugs.
The Director-General of
the National Action
Committee on AIDS, Prof.
John Idoko, stated this at
the zonal consultations on
ownership for sustainable
HIV response where he
also attributed the
irregular funding of NACA
by donor agencies to
global meltdown in the
past three years.
He said, "We have seen
very significant progress in
the fight against HIV and
AIDS in Nigeria – more
than 25 per cent HIV
decline between 2001 and
2009. However, we still
have very significant gaps.
"Nigeria has the largest
burden of transmission of
mother child of HIV in the
world – 30 per cent with
about 70,000 children
born every year with HIV.
These children hardly live
to see their third birthday
without treatment."
Idoko said much remained
to be accomplished if
future generations were
to live in a world in which
the threat of AIDS had
been overcome.
He said, "If we are to
transform the landscape of
AIDS, it must remain high
on the national and global
agenda.
"We must move to a
response that is long-term
and sustainable-one that
makes full use of the
knowledge and resources
developed over the past
three decades, yet
continues and respond to
a changing world that is
constantly influencing the
future of AIDS."
The NACA boss also called
on donor agencies to
ensure regular funding of
the agency.
He said, "Funding remains
largely externally driven
and this is unsustainable.
Over 80 per cent of our
funding for the AIDS
response is from donors."