NIGERIA: UN report criticises Nigeria's poor track record in curbing mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission

Record ID: 235235

  • Title: NIGERIA: UN report criticises Nigeria's poor track record in curbing mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission
  • Date: 2nd December 2009
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (DECEMBER 1, 2009) (REUTERS) PEOPLE IN A HALL ATTENDING WORLD AIDS DAY ACTIVITIES
  • Embargoed: 17th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: International Relations,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVAEDMO49S14L6V2RPCUTJ0N8PIJ
  • Story Text: Nigeria's poor response to calls for implementation of measures to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child is hindering overall efforts to fight the disease, a new U.N. report says.
    Nigeria's poor response to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV/AIDS is hindering the overall progress of HIV prevention in Africa's most populous nation, a United Nations report has said.
    The new report by Unicef and World Health Organisation "2009 AIDS Epidemic Update" shows that the number of new infections have been reduced by 17 percent over the past eight years in sub-Saharan Africa.
    But Nigeria lags behind in progress made in some countries in both treatment to avoid mother-to-child transmission and testing of pregnant women for HIV, the report states.
    Currently only 10 per cent of women in Nigeria are tested for HIV and ninety percent of pregnant women living with HIV are not accessing treatments to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the Unicef report said.
    Orode Dorhathye, Chief Director of Africare said at an AIDS Day event in Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday (December 1) that the Nigerian government has to make more efforts to prevent mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission.
    "In the first instance there are more positive HIV/AIDS persons in Nigeria than in South Africa that's one; and of course as you know, there has been a lot of concerted efforts to ensure that people know their status, so people are, we have been driving at getting people to know their status, get tested, know if you have HIV/AIDS," Dorhathye said.
    Dorhathye's organisation has been championing the campaign for voluntary HIV/AIDS testing amongst Nigerians.
    "We have been targeting pregnant women normally where they will go to be delivered, whether it's a traditional birth attendant or primary health centres. So in a word, the uptake of PMTCT has increased. More pregnant women are getting tested and knowing their status, so we are hoping that this is actually evidence that our programmes are working, we are getting to pregnant women I believe those would be contributory," Dorhathye said.
    Matthew Aliu, a Lagos-based anti-AIDS activist said anti-AIDS activists had made progress against the disease in Lagos. "With the support of all NGOs in Lagos state they are making a great impact in reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS and mother to child transmission infection of the HIV/AIDS virus."
    An estimated 5.6 percent of adults between ages 15-49 are living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.
    Although the HIV prevalence is much lower in Nigeria than in other African countries such as South Africa and Zambia, the size of Nigeria's population (around 140 million) means the estimated number of people infected would greater.
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