Nigeria Mulls Domestic Production Of HIV/AIDS Drugs, Test Kits
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitope Ilori, said plans are on to begin domestic production of HIV commodities before the end of 2025.
Ilori disclosed this on Friday in Ilorin while inaugurating the Kwara Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Paediatrics ART Acceleration Committee.
She said domestic production of HIV commodities such as test kits and anti-retroviral drugs was part of measures the government was taking to eradicate AIDS as a public health threat by 2023.
She added that other measures included enrolling all individuals in the National Health Insurance Scheme, mobilising resources to states, strengthening advocacy efforts and supporting vaccine research and innovation.
The NACA boss said, “UNAIDS 2023 reports indicate that approximately 140,000 children aged 0-14 are living with HIV, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurring annually.
“Despite progress, PMTCT and paediatric HIV coverage remains below 33%, far from the 95% target.
“To address this, the Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in Children was developed in 2021 with full financial support, yet coverage remains suboptimal.”
The committee was mandated to achieve an AIDS-free generation and ensure a sustainable HIV response.
She also noted that even as the state’s HIV prevalence of 0.8% was below the national average of 1.4%, disparities persist.
“Women are disproportionately affected (1.3%) compared to men (0.4%), and some local governments require targeted interventions to maintain and further reduce prevalence rates. Achieving an AIDS-free generation is within reach and no child should be born HIV-positive in Kwara State.”
She added that Minister of State for Health, Iziaq Salako, had established a National Acceleration Committee, a model, she said, was being replicated at the state level to eliminate mother-to-child transmission and enhance real-time programme monitoring.
Nigeria Mulls Domestic Production Of HIV/AIDS Drugs, Test Kits is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
