What Nigeria is doing to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV – NACA DG

In commemoration of the 2024 World AIDS Day, the Director Normal of the Nationwide Company for the Management of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, shared insights into Nigeria’s ongoing battle in opposition to HIV/AIDS, significantly the problem of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT).

With Nigeria being one of many international locations with the best burden of MTCT, Ms Ilori, a physician, mentioned the progress made, the challenges confronted, and the methods in place to make sure no youngster is born with HIV.

PT: What progress has Nigeria made in lowering mother-to-child transmission of HIV and what are the most recent statistics on the affect of PMTCT programmes?

NACA DG: Nigeria as a rustic has made vital progress within the Prevention of Mom-to-Youngster Transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Nonetheless, we nonetheless have a protracted option to go. We nonetheless have a problem placing a cease to Mom-to-Youngster Transmission of HIV (MTCT) and I feel the problem is multifaceted. Whereas HIV medication can be found at well being services, solely about 66 per cent of moms obtain antenatal care in these services. Even amongst those that do, solely about 23 per cent ship in well being services. Many ladies obtain antenatal care however give delivery at residence, with Conventional Beginning Attendants (TBAs), or in mission homes. For individuals who check constructive for HIV, stigma and worry of discrimination typically stop them from accessing therapy. Because of this, solely about 33 per cent of pregnant girls are on antiretroviral remedy (ART), removed from the 95 per cent world goal. This locations Nigeria because the nation with the best burden of MTCT and the best variety of youngsters born with HIV. We’re working laborious to scale back this burden by encouraging pregnant girls to hunt antenatal care, get examined for HIV, begin therapy, and ship in well being services with expert delivery attendants. The supply of HIV medication will not be the difficulty—what we’d like is for girls to entry care with out worry of stigma. All of us as Nigerians ought to be sure that we cease stigma and discrimination, we must always embrace these residing with HIV, help and encourage them to remain on therapy. When moms are on therapy and their viral load is suppressed, the virus turns into undetectable, which suggests it turns into untransmittable to their unborn youngsters.

PT: What are the important thing challenges hindering efficient PMTCT implementation in Nigeria, particularly concerning entry to companies?

NACA DG: One of many essential challenges is cultural beliefs. Many ladies favor to offer delivery at residence or with TBAs moderately than in well being services. We’re working carefully with conventional and neighborhood leaders, networks of individuals residing with HIV (PLHIV), and mentor moms – these residing with HIV and already on therapy – to help and encourage pregnant girls to entry well being companies. Faith additionally performs a job, which is why we companion with faith-based organisations to share these messages in locations of worship. Stigma and discrimination stay essentially the most vital obstacles stopping girls from searching for HIV testing and therapy. Overcoming these challenges is important to bettering entry to PMTCT companies.

PT: Stigma and discrimination typically deter girls from accessing PMTCT companies. How’s NACA addressing these obstacles?

NACA DG: We now have anti-discriminatory legal guidelines that at the moment are domesticated in a number of states throughout Nigeria. These legal guidelines penalise people discovered responsible of discrimination. Moreover, NACA has established a office coverage that enables people who face discrimination to report it and have the difficulty addressed. We additionally conduct the stigma index survey, in collaboration with networks of PLHIV, to measure the prevalence of stigma and observe our progress. This helps us determine hotspots and inform our coverage choices. By constantly monitoring stigma ranges, we are able to implement focused interventions to scale back its affect on healthcare entry.

PT: How is NACA working to make sure that PMTCT companies attain extra pregnant girls, significantly these in rural and underserved areas?

NACA DG: We’re not simply ready for girls to come back to well being services; we’re going out to search out them. We companion with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs to conduct neighborhood outreach, providing HIV testing and therapy the place vital. Well being employees and volunteers play an important position on this mission. We additionally be sure that pregnant girls, particularly in underserved areas, are included within the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Authority (NHIA) beneath weak teams, which is funded via the Primary Well being Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), which is one per cent of the consolidated income. Over the previous yr, greater than two million weak Nigerians, together with pregnant girls and PLHIV, have been enrolled within the scheme, making certain they’ve entry to the healthcare they want.

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PT: With declining world funding for HIV/AIDS, how is NACA making certain the sustainability of PMTCT companies in Nigeria?

NACA DG: We’re participating with state companies and native authorities authorities to make sure that PMTCT companies are sustained on the grassroots stage. NACA collaborates with state companies and native governments to supervise and implement HIV/AIDS programmes, together with PMTCT. We’re additionally advocating for elevated budgetary allocations for HIV response at each nationwide and sub-national ranges. By means of the International Fund grant, sources are mobilised to help these actions throughout all states. Moreover, we’re integrating HIV companies into Major Healthcare companies and coaching healthcare employees on the native authorities stage. To this point, we now have skilled over 20,000 healthcare employees, with plans to coach 120,000 by the tip of the programme.

PT: What are NACA’s key plans to satisfy the UNAIDS 2030 aim of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria?

NACA DG: One among our key plans is the acceleration committee, inaugurated by the Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare, which we goal to duplicate in all states. It has already been domesticated in three states – Ekiti, Ogun, and Borno -where native governments have dedicated to allocating sources and offering the mandatory political will to get rid of MTCT. We’re additionally intensifying consciousness campaigns, utilizing media, city criers, and market outreach to succeed in extra folks. We’re working carefully with TBAs and different non-conventional well being services, offering them with HIV check kits and coaching them to refer pregnant girls who check constructive to expert healthcare services for therapy. Our focus is on stopping new infections and making certain that over 98 per cent of Nigerians who’re at the moment HIV-negative stay that approach.