IN its efforts to rid the world of HIV/AIDS, the United States Government has restated its readiness to collaborate with relevant agencies and governments through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief programme.

 

This was revealed at the stakeholders’ meeting attended by the representatives of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, the Lagos State Government and PEPFAR recently.

 

The American delegates also visited the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital in order to see the ongoing efforts at curtailing the spread of the virus, with the overall aim of achieving the universal goals of “zero new HIV infections, zero stigma and discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.” www.medicalworldnigeria.com

 

The event was also attended by pharmacists, physicians and traditional healers who minister to people living with the virus.

 

The leader of the USAID/PEPFAR delegation, Mr. David Stanton, stressed the need to sustain the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS, saying it is one of the most potent ways to achieve zero new infections, among others.

 

He assured the stakeholders of the continued support of the war against the virus by the American people.

 

PEPFAR was a commitment of $15bn over five years (2003–2008) by the ex-American President, George W. Bush, to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

 

The Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, while discussing the administration’s efforts at curtailing the spread of the virus, disclosed that despite the huge achievements recorded in harnessing PMTCT, several challenges currently faced the implementation of the programme.

 

She said, “Our challenges include poor health-seeking behaviour of Lagosians, especially residents of rural areas; problem of multiple data reporting forms and tools, human resource shortage at the facilities provided, poor documentation, and inadequate budgetary allocation by the government for necessary activities.”

 

She said at the moment, about 1.08 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the state, and that as at April 2013, about 3.2 per cent of the health facilities with antenatal care services provide PMTCT services.

 

 In her reaction, an Executive Director with NACA, Dr. Funke Oki, said the mandate of the agency included the facilitation, development and management of the policies and strategies of all sectors, in order to sustain human, financial and organisational resources to support the successful execution of the national HIV/AIDS response programme.

 

“With the intervention of the American government, we can say that Nigeria will get a lasting solution to treating and taking care of people living with HIV/AIDS,” she said.