Nigeria needs to fight the transmission of the epidemic among the vulnerable communities, to become HIV-free, UNAIDS said.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday, the country Director of UNAIDS, Erasmus Morah, said fresh cases of HIV are still being transmitted among the vulnerable groups.
In these groups are sex workers, people in prisons, gays, injection drug users and pregnant women. He agreed, this can only be stopped if the government makes testing and treatment available to them.
Mr Morah, speaking against the backdrop of the newly launched HIV Prevention Campaign tagged U equals U (U=U) means Undetectable = Untransmittable.
The campaign was launched by the Federal Ministry of Health and National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in collaboration with the U.S President’s Emergency Plans for AIDs Relief (PEPFAR)
The launch as part of this year preparation for World AIDs Day (WAD) on December themed “Communities Make the Difference.” WAD is celebrated to create and raise awareness on the deadly disease and encourage people to know their status and to be placed on treatment if status confirmed positive.
The U=U campaign is to tell the success story of viral load suppression among people using antiretroviral.
Mr Morah said Nigeria will be able to celebrate better when the issues of the left behind people who are yet to be tested are tackle. He lamented Nigeria still has a huge challenge of Mother to Child Transmission.
The Director-General of NACA, Aliyu Gambo while addressing the press said, Nigeria has been able to gain grounds in controlling the epidemic. There has been a reduction in the National predominance of HIV in Nigeria dropping to 1.4 per cent from 2.8 per cent among adults aged 15 to 49 years.
Mr Gambo said Nigeria was able to achieve this landmark through the support of international partners, Civil society organisations among others.
He appealed “The efforts of the communities are more than ever needed to ensure that HIV remains on the political agenda and galvanise international and national funding for HIV to ensure the UNAIDS 90:90:90 goals achieved and sustained.”
Abdulwahab Tajudeen reports from Abuja
