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Tag: HIV

  • Nigeria had second largest HIV epidemic in 2016 — Report

    Nigeria had second largest HIV epidemic in 2016 — Report

    Nigeria had the second largest HIV epidemic in 2016, with over 196,000 adolescents representing 10 percent of the global burden said to be living with HIV/AIDS, according to a World Health Report.

    The report was given by Mrs Esther Samuel, The Chief Matron, Lagos State Ministry of Health, at a programme by a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Lisa Demi Project, in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lisa Demi Project, initiated in the U.K., seeks address the sexual health issues through Talks, Counselling and Entertainment among others.

    The programme, held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium Surulere, Lagos on Thursday, and title “ Let’s Talk about Our Sexual Health’’, is targeted at teenagers between the ages 14 to 24.

    Speaking on the dangers of unrestrained sexual activities among the youths, Samuel said the statistics from the health sector remained a concern.

    “Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic. About 3.2 million people Nigerians were living with HIV in 2016.

    “In Nigeria, over 196,000 adolescents, representing 10 percent of the global burden, are said to be living with HIV/AIDS.

    “Also 230,000 babies were born by girls aged 15 to 19 in 2015. This is a frightening report. However, 1 million STIs are acquired every day,’’ she said.

    Relaying the statistics further, Samuel said that the world was groaning under the heavy burden of sexually transmitted diseases.

    “Each year, there are estimated 357 million new infections, while globally more than 2 million 10 to 19-year-olds are living with HIV.

    “About one in seven of all new HIV infections occur during adolescence. In the U.S., 21 per cent of the adolescents had drunk alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse.

    “About 85 per cent of these youths live in developing countries, while we also have 32 per cent of Nigerian population as youths which half (48.6 per cent) of adolescents aged 15 to 19 are sexually active.

    “About 1 in 5 of sexually active females and 1 in 12 sexually active males had already engaged in sexual intercourse by the age of 15,’’ she said.

    Samuel said that the alarming statistics should call for urgent action so as not to lose the bulk of the productive population to untreatable diseases such as STDs and STIs.

    “These are real figures which should bring something to our mind and it is no other thing than fear, and a call to action, especially among our youths.

    “Our youths must be cautioned to refrain and advise. They all need to be guided not to waste their lives on what is worth waiting for.

    “The youths should start to avoid something they call a little thing that does not matter but are sexual behaviours such as kissing, keeping secret friendships and others.

    “We should focus on health education and STI prevention through school seminars, clubs, social media, parents, peer groups and proper counseling when STDs are detected early,’’ she said.

    NAN reports that the event has in attendance over 1,000 students drawn from schools in Lagos. (NAN)

  • Over 3,027 pregnant women living with HIV in Nigeria – NPHCDA

    The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said on Friday 3,027 out of 121,396 pregnant women tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) during the first round of the Maternal and Newborn Child Health (MNCH) Week.

    A representative of the Agency, Victoria Azodoh, disclosed this at a three -day seminar on Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) for Wives of North Central Governors in Minna.

    She also said 1,870 out of 129,838 women of childbearing age also tested positive to HIV.

    Azodoh said the data was gathered during the MNCH week nationwide.

    She also said 336,430 children were immunized, 29,265,569 given Vitamin A and 15,240676 dewormed across Nigeria.

    The Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, expressed dismay at the high malnutrition and maternal and child mortality rate in the country, describing it as disheartening.

    Mrs. Buhari, who was represented by former deputy Governor of Plateau State, Chief Pauline Tallen, said the situation whereby the nation records 120 deaths per 1000 live birth is unacceptable and should be addressed.

  • News Hour: Over 270,000 nigerian children living with hiv – UNICEF I TNGtv

  • Over 270,000 Nigerian children living with HIV – UNICEF

    The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has said that no fewer than 270,000 estimated children aged 0 to 14 years were living with HIV in Nigeria in 2016.

    The figure represented the lion share of half of the 540,000 total infected children in West and Central Africa over the same year.

    Nigeria also recorded 37,000 new HIV infections among children out of the total of 60,000 new infections in West and Central Africa over the same period, representing 62 per cent of the new infections.

    The UN children’s agency warned that the West and Central Africa were lagging too far behind the rest of the world in access to HIV treatment and care.

    Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Director, West and Central Africa, in a report released on Tuesday, called for improvement of early diagnosis and access to HIV treatment and care for children.

    The report said four in five children living with HIV in West and Central Africa were still not receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy.

    It warned that AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years were on the rise.

    “It is tragic that so many children and adolescents today are not receiving the treatment they need just because they have not been tested,” Ms. Poirier said.

    According to UNICEF, West and Central Africa has the lowest paediatric antiretroviral treatment coverage in the world.

    The region has only 21 per cent of the 540,000 children (aged 0 to 14 years) living with HIV receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2016 – compared to 43 per cent globally.

    “A major cause behind this is the limited capacity of the countries to perform the tests needed for early infant diagnosis of HIV.

    “Without knowing a child’s HIV status, his or her family is less likely to seek the treatment that could prevent the tragedy of a child’s death from AIDS-related illnesses.

    “The situation is worse among adolescents: the annual number of new HIV infections among those aged 15 to 19 years in the region now exceeds that of children aged 0 to 14 years.

    “These new infections occur mostly through unprotected sexual contact and among adolescent girls,” the UN agency warned.

    “Leaders of the region have endorsed a Catch-Up plan aiming to triple the number of people on treatment in the region – including children – by the end of 2018, the key issue now is to accelerate implementation.

    “Countries should urgently put in place more effective strategies for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and start reducing inequity in children’s access to treatment,” Luiz Loures, the Deputy Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said.

    Equally concerning, according to Step Up the Pace: Towards an AIDS-free, a recently released UNICEF report, is that the region has seen a 35 per cent rise in the annual number of AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years.

    This was the only age group in which the number of AIDS-related deaths increased between 2010 and 2016.

    “With the region’s youth population expected to grow significantly within the coming decades, especially in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria.

    “The numbers of children and adolescents becoming infected with HIV and dying from AIDS is likely to remain high, unless the HIV response – both prevention and treatment – improves dramatically,” the report warned.

    To overcome these hurdles, the report called for key strategies to enable countries accelerate efforts to curb the spread of the disease.

    In particular, it proposed a differentiated HIV response focusing on unique epidemiological and local contexts in each country and community.

    It also proposed the integration of HIV services into key social services including health, education and protection.

    According to the report, community ownership and local governance of the HIV response including working with families to help reduce stigma, access prevention and treatment.

    The others are investment in innovations to remove barriers to diagnostic and biomedical approaches such as point of care diagnostics, HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis.

     

    NAN

  • US offers free treatment for 720,000 HIV victims in Nigeria

    US offers free treatment for 720,000 HIV victims in Nigeria

    The United States Government has offered to treat over 720,000 Nigerians living with HIV for free.

    This was revealed in a statement by the Acting Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate General, Lagos, Kevin Krapf.

    Krapf said this in his speech in commemoration of the 2017 World AIDS Day which held at the Lagos State University College of Medicine.

    Speaking on the theme, “Increasing impact through transparency, accountability and partnerships,” Krapf also said in 2017 alone, about four million Nigerians had received free HIV counselling and testing services through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

    He said the gestures were a reflection of the US government’s “longstanding” leadership in addressing global HIV/AIDS spread and increasing its impact in controlling the epidemic.

    Krapf also said its HIV prevention messages and activities had reached over 300,000 people identified as “most-at-risk,” while about 50,000 pregnant women had received antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

    He said, “According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and has one of the highest new infection rates in sub-Saharan Africa.

    “Many people living with HIV in Nigeria are unaware of their status due to insufficient recommended number of HIV testing and counselling centres.

    “Low access of antiretroviral treatment remains an issue for people living with HIV in Nigeria and I welcome the new commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria to use domestic funds to provide antiretroviral drugs to an additional 50,000 people living with HIV each year.”

    Stating that the latest PEPFAR data from its population-based HIV impact assessments showed that five high-burden African countries were already approaching the control of their HIV/AIDS epidemics, Krapf assured that the US government would continue to provide support to the Federal Government towards controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS among Nigerians.

    He said, “We are at an unprecedented moment in the global HIV/AIDS response. For the first time in modern history, we have the opportunity to change the very course of a pandemic by controlling it without a vaccine or a cure.

    “Controlling the pandemic will lay the groundwork for eliminating or eradicating HIV, which we hope will be possible through the future scientific breakthroughs which lead to an effective HIV vaccine and cure.”

  • ’16, 000 persons living with HIV died in Borno …’

    The Borno chapter of the Network of Persons Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWAN), says more than 16, 000 members of the organisation died in the past three years in Borno.

    Its Chairman, Hassan Mustapha, told newsmen on Saturday in Maiduguri that the victims died due to the activities of Boko Haram, which made it difficult for patients to access Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) and other support services.

    Mustapha was speaking against the backdrop of the 2017 World AIDS Day.

    He explained that more than 27, 000 persons were registered for ART between 2011 and 2014, in various designated centres in the state, lamenting that the number dropped to 11, 303 clients in 2017.

    He said that the deaths were due to lack of access to treatment, non compliance to the use of drugs and poor economic status of the persons living with the virus.

    Mustapha disclosed that the association confirmed the death of its members through visitation and phone calls to their families, noting that most of the deaths were not recorded at the ART centres.

    The chairman added that the reduction in the number of persons on ART was a clear indication that the persons were either dead or missing.
    Mustapha maintained that the deaths were due to lack of access to ARV drugs in the communities affected by insurgency.

    “Most of the ART centres were closed down due to Boko Haram insurgency, thereby making it difficult for our members to access treatment.

    “Positive living persons in Damboa, Damasak, Monguno, Konduga, Malamfatori and other rural communities could no longer access treatment, as they could not afford transportation to travel to areas where services were available in Maiduguri and Biu.

    “The situation was further compounded by the inability of the state government to pay its counterpart fund for the HIV/AIDS campaign programme in the last three years.

    “Development partners could also not provide care and support services; economic strengthening support and other services to improve the health status of our members.

    “It is clear that the virus is not curable but it could be controlled through effective management. Thousands of our members stopped visiting clinics and when we reach out to locate them we find out that they were either dead or missing,” he said.

    Mustapha further decried non-inclusion of their members in the state government’s skills acquisition programme, to enable them engage in income generating activities and meet their needs.
    “We have been able to control stigma in the society but we need economic empowerment support to enable us make a healthy living.”
    However, Dr Haruna Mshelia, the Commissioner for Health, said that the state government had paid its counterpart fund to the programme, to facilitate its successful implementation.

    Mshelia said the state had recorded success in the campaign against the virus in the past three years.

    He disclosed that the state government had established 42 HIV Testing Service Centres in health facilities and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and 52 Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission PMTCT sites, with 12 ART sites in general hospitals across the state.

    Mshelia noted that the state government had scaled up activities in 237 health facilities, to control transmission and provide quality services for positive living persons.

    The commissioner said that the services were provided in collaboration between the state government and National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), FHI360, IHVN and UNFPA.

    “In 2017, some 236, 404 persons were tested for HIV and 1, 902 new cases recorded in the state.

    “11, 303 clients are currently receiving anti-retroviral treatment and 922 others on PMTCT.”

  • Kano Govt proposes bill on compulsory HIV testing for new couples

    Kano Govt proposes bill on compulsory HIV testing for new couples

    The Kano State Government said on Friday that it had been working to propose a bill on compulsory HIV/AIDS testing for all new couples in the state.

    The Commissioner for Health, Kabiru Getso, disclosed this at a news conference to commemorate the World HIV/AIDS day in Kano.

    He said the Ganduje administration had taken health as a priority and was working tirelessly to ensure quality healthcare delivery services in the state.

    Mr. Getso explained that the state government, in collaboration with the state Hisbah Board, had proposed the bill, which was awaiting passage at the state house of assembly.

    According to him, “The state government had demonstrated concern about the care and control of HIV/AIDS by giving the scourge all the necessary attention it required’’.

    He stressed that the state government established the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), in order to record the progress and achievements so far witnessed in the control of AIDS in the state.

    “The state has, however, approved the sum of over N443 million to carry out many interventions and outreach services, as well as to create awareness across the state,’’ Mr. Getso said.

    The Commissioner said the government would continue to support people living with HIV/AIDS and would continue to create awareness on the prevention of the disease.

    The World Health Organisation has declared every December 1 to be World HIV/AIDS Day, to give succour to people living with HIV/AIDS in the state.

    NAN

  • Over 3m people living with HIV in Nigeria – USAIDS

    Over 3m people living with HIV in Nigeria – USAIDS

    …Says partners have commit $100m to rebase HIV epidemic

    The Country Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Dr Erasmus Morah has said available data showed that Nigeria has about 3.2 million people living with HIV, with a prevalence of about 3.2 per cent.

    Morah also hinted that the Federal Government’s partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS have set aside US$100 million to conduct a national survey to rebase the epidemic in Nigeria.

    The USAIDs Country Director revealed this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said that most support for the survey would come from the United States Government and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    “Some people feel that Nigeria doesn’t have as many as 3.2 million people living with HIV, while others feel that more than 3.2 million people are living with it in Nigeria.

    “We need to take a closer look at its prevalence in Nigeria. A national survey will tell us the exact prevalence in the country,’’ he said.

    Morah said the survey would be conducted in 2018.

    He said that UNAIDS was providing support to Nigeria to own and sustain funding the HIV response.

    Morah commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent commitment to maintain 60,000 people living with HIV on treatment.

    He also commended the efforts of the president to care for additional 50,000 people on treatment each year, using domestic resources, as part of Nigeria’s HIV Fast Track plan.

    President Buhari’s groundbreaking commitment to care for additional 50,000 people was made in a statement issued on his behalf by the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Sani Aliyu.

    He made the statement during the side-event on the HIV Fast Track at the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York.

    “I envision a situation in future where the Nigerian government will be paying for antiretroviral drugs, test kits and other consumables that its citizens rely on to remain alive, healthy and productive,” he said.

     

     

  • Borno records 3,800 new cases of HIV in IDPs camps

    Borno records 3,800 new cases of HIV in IDPs camps

    Malam Barkindo Saidu, the Executive Secretary, Borno Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (BOSACA), says 3,800 new cases of HIV infections have been recorded in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the state.

    Saidu told the newsmen in Maiduguri on Wednesday that the new cases were recorded after voluntary screening in 15 IDPs camps in the state.

    He said that currently 2.4 per cent of the population of the state or about 108,000 persons are living with HIV and AIDS, going by the demographic survey provided by the National Population Commission.

    The scribe said: “We recorded 3,800 new cases of HIV between January 2017 to March this year.

    “Also, 70 children in the IDPs camps tested positive.

    “So far, in the whole state we have about 18,101 new cases of persons living with HIV within this period and only 9,438 are currently coming for the Anti-Retroviral Therapy and counselling.

    “Our challenges are enormous and cannot be over emphasised. It will interest you to note that Borno state have not participated in any HIV programme in the last two years.

    “Only tiny portion of the people living with HIV and AIDs can access treatment because most anti-retroviral centres have closed,” he said.

    He explained that only 32 out of the 90 anti-retroviral centres were still operational in the state.

    “Within the last six years, the state was only able to achieve nine per cent out of its HIV reduction prevalence rate in Borno state.

    “This was because the government and other support partners have not given priority attention to the plight of such persons.

    “Governor Shettima had approved N45 million counterpart funding for HIV development programmes since December 2016, but the fund is yet to be released.

    “Three months ago, I wrote a letter to about 29 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to come to the plight of such persons but only UNICEF is assisting.

    “On the 30 March, the Federal Government had received grant for HIV, TB and Malaria from Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Maleria (GPATM). We cannot access this fund until the state government provide counterpart support funding,’’ Saidu said.

    The executive secretary, therefore, renewed his appeal to the state government to release the counterpart fund and urged NGOs to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Depression, suicide, alcohol abuse common among PLHIV in Nigeria – IHVN

    The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) says there is high prevalence of depression, suicide and alcohol abuse among People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Nigeria.

    This was contained in a statement issued by the Communication Manager, IHVN, Mr.Dennis Mordi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    It said this was part of the research finding conducted by the institute in collaboration with GEDE Foundation, an NGO.

    It explained that the research study showed that one out of three PLHIV experienced a major depressive episode in the past year.

    The statement also said that one out of 12 PLHIV engage in harmful alcohol use and three out of 100 PLHIV have attempted suicide.

    IHVN Director Clinical, Medical Services, Dr. Ernest Ekong, said that 28 percent of the 1187 interviewees had a major depressive episode, while seven percent abused alcohol and two percent were alcohol dependent, it said.

    The statement also quoted Ekong as saying that 14 percent of those who participated in the study had thought of committing suicide in their lifetime.

    “This study shows that mental health issues are very common among our patients and we found out that alcohol use is very common especially among women,” he said.

    According to him, 14 percent of those who participated in the study had thought of committing suicide in their lifetime.

    “This study shows that mental health issues are very common among our patients. We found out that alcohol use was very common especially among women,” he said.

    Ekong said that the research findings would be useful in influencing policy such as determining the extra care needed to help PLHIV.

    He said that the institute was working with GEDE Foundation to develop a monitoring tool that can be used in health facilities to identify and support patients going into depression.

    He further said that the partnership would enable necessary intervention through counselling.

    He also stressed the need for training of healthcare workers to meet the mental needs of PLHIV.

    According to the statement, participants were drawn from University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Asokoro District Hospital,and Garki Hospital, all in Abuja.

    It added that patients receiving second-line antiretroviral drugs participated in the study.

    The Managing Director of GEDE Foundation, Mr. John Minto, noted that the study was significant because over 1000 respondents were involved and globally recognized data collection and analytical tools were used.

    “’Existing studies have showed to be rather small in terms of respondent numbers,

    “And this has made it difficult for government and other agencies to extrapolate findings and to address the key issues related to mental health, screening, treatment, and referral services at the community level,” he said.

    Minto said his foundation is working with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to ensure that mental illness was included in the country’s HIV and AIDS National Strategic Framework.

    “I am very confident that this will indeed be the case shortly,” he said.