Two procedures which the federal government will soon carry out a study on have shown promise in tackling HIV infection in the country, particularly  for people who are at substantial risk of HIV, and also in reducing the infectiousness of people already infected with HIV-1.

 

They study which will be carried out by the National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA) is on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Treatment as Prevention (TasP) in the country.

 

“Multiple studies have established that anti-retroviral drugs could be used to reduce the rate of infection in a population in two different ways, known by the acronyms PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and TasP (Treatment as Prevention),” said Director General of   NACA, professor John Idoko.

 

According to him Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is a procedure for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of contracting the virus to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. The pill (brand name Truvada) which contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV.

 

Treatment as Prevention (TasP) on the other hand, targets people who are already infected with HIV-1, reducing their infectiousness in the population.

 

 

He said the studies have established that, after about the first six months of treatment, anti-retroviral therapy (ART) reduces HIV-1 concentrations to undetectable levels in blood plasma and genital compartments.

 

Speaking at a media roundtable in Abuja, the NACA boss emphasized that the study is not to determine whether PrEP works or not as it has long been established that PrEP actually works when used in combination with other methods of HIV prevention. 

 

“This study is however being carried out in Nigeria to see whether it will work in real life situations among the Nigerian population under normal conditions. The initial studies that showed that PrEP works were done under well controlled situations,” he said.

 

He added that the study is expected to provide needed information on how to implement the strategies in a large population as part of a comprehensive public health programme aimed at preventing HIV infection.”

 

Some 600 sero-discordant couples (where one partner is negative and the other positive to the virus) will take part in the study at three sites in Nnewi, Jos and Calabar

 

Deputy director of research at Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Dr Oliver Ezechi, who will act as internal assessor of the HIV-prevention study said, 

“The drug has been shown to work. We are trying to see the best strategy to scale it up in Nigeria.”

 

The results from the study will be monitored directly at NACA and external assessors in Geneva and reported to its funding sponsors, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

By Ojoma Akor

Daily Trust