The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS has welcomed the commitment expressed by Nigerian leaders to end HIV/AIDS infections by 2030.
The UNAIDS Country Director for Nigeria and UNAIDS Focal Point for the Economic Community Of West African States, Bilali Camara said, “We welcome President Muhammadu Buhari’s call to action to end AIDS by 2030. We are looking forward to supporting government efforts at federal and state levels to free Nigeria from the AIDS epidemic,”
Addressing a side-event of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS at the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Muhammadu Buhari called for “working together to make HIV and AIDS history by 2030.”
Although Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of the AIDS epidemic, Buhari noted that the effort of the global community had resulted in greater control, less spread and better management of the disease.
The side-event held to discuss elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV was moderated by the Director-General of NACA, Prof. John Idoko.
NACA and UNAIDS show-cased Pampaida in Kaduna State as a role model for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This village achieved the total elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in 2015.
The UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibe, said Nigeria could lead the way in efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
“We should expand the Kaduna model to all 12+1 high burden states of Nigeria where 70 percent of all HIV positive pregnant women and new HIV infections exist,” Sidibe said.
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