US committed to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria

The government of the United States of America has promised to support Nigeria in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus.


U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, said this in Bwari while cutting the ribbon at Mapa community clinic. The event is part of activities put together by the USA Embassy in Nigeria to commemorate 2013 World AIDS Day with the theme “Getting zero new HIV infections”.

He said the intervention support is based on the need to strengthen fight against the scourge in rural communities and also provide healthcare services for the rural dwellers.

“We are here today to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the world aids day by commissioning a community clinic that will provide vital services to the people of Mapa,"  Entwistle said.

He added: "This clinic will offer a range of options from primary health care to ante-natal care and services for pregnant women, including services focused on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.”

He described the event as a milestone geared towards marking the 10th anniversary of Partner to Fight HIV and AIDS (PEPFAR) in Nigeria.

He said the disease, which poses threats to the foundation of societies, was responsible for the increased number of orphans and poverty level in the country.

He also said that there had been a remarkable reduction in global HIV infections and AIDS- related deaths since the inception of PEPFAR, saying that getting to zero was possible.

He said: "AIDS deaths are down by 32 per cent and new infections are down by 33 per cent; we are at a point where an AIDS-free generation is truly a possibility.”

Although PEPFAR had put measures in place to provide treatment for women and children, he said more needed to be done to eradicate the scourge in the country.

"All of these sound impressive but we can do better, in fact we must do better if we truly wish to halt the scourge of HIV infections in Nigeria,” he said.

He reiterated the commitment of the U.S. to partnering the Federal Government on a five-year strategic plan to help sustain support for tackling AIDS issues.

He said the U.S. Congress recently came up with a legislation on renewing PEPFAR for another five years for the second time, saying it would help to strengthen ties between the two countries.

"This is the second time the programme has been extended. The commitment of the American people is to ensure that our Nigerian friends and partners have resources and support needed to effectively treat and prevent HIV and AIDS,” he said.