Dr. Peter Nwaokenneya, Deputy Director/Head of Treatment Care and Support Program at the National HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), shared these insights during a round table with journalists.

Epidemic control for HIV is attained when the total number of new HIV infections falls below the total number of deaths from all causes among people living with HIV.

The round table, themed “Now is the Time: Fighting Pediatric HIV Through Strategic Partnership,” was organized by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) in collaboration with NASCP and the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).

Nwaokenneya acknowledged the country’s significant progress in combating the HIV pandemic, citing efforts to curb the virus’s spread, ensure access to treatment and care, and reduce its impact on the population.

Despite improvements in awareness, increased access to antiretroviral therapy, and a decline in HIV prevalence, challenges persist, necessitating continued work to ensure comprehensive healthcare and eliminate stigma.

Prof. Rosemary Ugwu, a Consultant Pediatrician at the University of Port Harcourt, emphasized the crucial role of young people in decision-making processes and the media’s contribution to promoting inclusion and creating supportive communities in the fight against pediatric HIV.

Mr. Aaron Sunday, National Coordinator of Positive Youths in Nigeria (APYIN), underscored the importance of a human-centered design in identifying HIV cases among adolescents and administering appropriate treatment.

He emphasized empowerment, empathy, partnership, and trust as essential elements in this approach, expressing the goal of eliminating the disease by 2030.

Dr. Nguavese Torbunde, Country Manager at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), outlined the goal to eliminate new pediatric HIV infections and improve access to treatment, contributing to the overarching aim of ending AIDS in children.

Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, increasing awareness, and fostering collaboration between governments, NGOs, and pharmaceutical companies were highlighted as essential steps in closing the gap in pediatric HIV/AIDS care.

The event provided valuable insights for journalists on enhancing their reportage of pediatric HIV and addressing the progress toward an AIDS-free generation.

As per the 2019 Nigeria National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, the country currently has approximately 1.9 million individuals living with the virus.

During the unveiling of the results of a pilot scheme conducted in Lagos and Abuja by the Society for Family Health, Bashorun emphasized the importance of self-testing and the necessity for everyone to know their HIV status.

He noted, “The HIV self-test does not need a facility. One needs only the test kits and just like pregnancy kits, it shows if it is positive or negative.

“It also helps you to quickly identify your health status and also be linked to care. So, you come for me once you test yourself, who is self-testing.

“This programme is more of a feasibility study on how it can be used in Nigeria. We are already using it, and we need to expand it.”

“The test kits are affordable and highly subsidised. A lot of them are even free but the idea is to see how it can be over the counter.”

The National Coordinator stated that the government in the last 30 years has helped treat HIV/AIDS by increasing treatment coverage.

Bashorun said, “Nigeria has increased its treatment coverage and we have been able to push out condoms as a preventive measure.

“In the last 30 years, the government has done a lot of treatment for HIV/ AIDS and escalated awareness.

“By 2030, Nigeria should be moving towards a form of epidemic control.”

In his welcome address, the Managing Director of the Society for Family Health, Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, said, “With the government, we have developed a comprehensive roadmap for private sector investment testing. This roadmap will facilitate increased private-sector involvement.

“Our efforts have been driven by a shared vision of improving access to integration of HR services across the country and recognising the importance of engaging stakeholders.”

“Through community mobilisation efforts, we have successfully reached over 50,000 individuals, creating awareness and driving engagement.”

She added that about 1.7 million people became infected with HIV in 2019 because they could not access essential services.

This was contained in a statement released today by UNAIDS in commemoration of World Aids Day 2020.

According to Byanyinma, COVID-19 is threatening the progress that the world has made in health and development over the past 20 years, including the gains made against HIV.

The UNAIDS official, however, expressed satisfaction for the progress made so far in protecting persons living with HIV.

She said, “I am proud that over the past year the HIV movement has mobilised to defend our progress, to protect people living with HIV and other vulnerable groups, and to push the coronavirus back.”

Byanyinma also appreciated all health workers who have contributed in one way of the other to fight the virus.

She said, “Whether campaigning for multimonth dispensing of HIV treatment, organising home deliveries of medicines, or providing financial assistance, food, and shelter to at-risk groups, HIV activists and affected communities have again shown they are the mainstay of the HIV response. I salute you!

“It is the strength within communities, inspired by a shared responsibility to each other, that has contributed in great part to our victories over HIV.”

Continuing, Byanyinma stated, “Today, we need that strength more than ever to beat the colliding epidemics of HIV and COVID-19.

“Friends, in responding to COVID-19, the world cannot make the same mistakes it made in the fight against HIV when millions in developing countries died waiting for treatment.

“Even today, more than 12 million people are still waiting to get on HIV treatment and 1.7 million people became infected with HIV in 2019 because they could not access essential services. That is why UNAIDS has been a leading advocate for a People’s Vaccine against the coronavirus.

“As the first COVID-19 vaccine candidates have proven effective and safe, there is hope that more will follow, but there are serious threats to ensuring equitable access. We are calling on companies to openly share their technology and know-how and to wave their intellectual property rights so that the world can produce the successful vaccines at the huge scale and speed required to protect everyone and so that we can get the global economy back on track.

“Our goal of ending the AIDS epidemic was already off track before COVID-19. We must put people first to get the AIDS response back on track. We must end the social injustices that put people at risk of contracting HIV. And we must fight for the right to health. There is no excuse for governments to not invest fully in universal access to health. Barriers such as up-front user fees that lock people out of health must come down.”

This was disclosed by the Coordinator, National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP), Akudo Ikpeazu, while presenting the evaluation report on the kit in Abuja on Tuesday, NAN reports.

The Wondfo rapid test kit could be used as a confirmatory test due to its high specification of 99.4 per cent, the AIDS body said.

Ikpeazu recalled that in 2019, the Federal Ministry of Health approved the conduct of the laboratory performance evaluation of Wondfo HIV I and II rapid test kit.

She disclosed that evaluation was conducted at a Diagnostic Laboratory, Lagos.

“The rapid test kit has an accuracy of 99.4 per cent with positive and negative predictive values of the kit to the Gold Standard as 99.3 per cent and 99.5 per cent respectively”, Ikpeazu noted.

The official assured that the results met the requirements for the kit to be included in the first line screening test of the HIV testing algorithm in Nigeria.

The coordinator confirmed that the National HIV testing algorithms were developed from rounds of evaluation conducted with antibody-based kits.

The report said low access to antiretroviral treatment and limited prevention efforts are the leading causes for these deaths, with only 54 per cent of children aged 0-14 living with HIV globally in 2018 – or 790,000 children – receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.

UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative Peter Hawkins explained, “Progress has been made in the battle against HIV and AIDS – but we must do more, especially when it comes to Nigerian children and adolescents.

“Testing and treating children and adolescents is a matter of life and death – and we must choose life.”

According to the latest global data, regional disparities in access to treatment among children living with HIV is very high – with West and Central Africa faring worst.

He said, “Access is highest in South Asia, at 91 per cent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (73 per cent), Eastern and Southern Africa (61 percent), East Asia and the Pacific (61 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (46 percent) and West and Central Africa (28 percent).

“Access to treatment by children living with HIV in Nigeria is only 35 per cent.

“Mothers’ access to antiretroviral therapy to prevent the transmission of the virus to their babies has increased globally, however, reaching 82 per cent, up from 44 per cent less than 10 years ago. This figure in Nigeria is 44 per cent, up from 22 per cent in 2009.

“It is good news that more and more pregnant women are receiving antiretroviral treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has helped avert about 2 million new HIV infections and prevented the deaths of over 1 million children under five years old around the world.

“But we need to see the same kind of progress in ensuring that children who already have the virus are receiving lifesaving treatment. HIV programmes need to be fully funded and equipped to preserve, protect and improve the quality of life for Nigerian children. We cannot and must not abandon these children.”

Available report shows that in 2018, around 160,000 children aged 0-9 were newly infected with HIV, bringing the total number of children in this age group living with HIV to 1.1 million. 89,000 children under the age of five were infected during pregnancy or birth and 76,000 were infected during breastfeeding in 2018, 140,000 adolescent girls were newly infected with HIV in 2018, compared to 50,000 adolescent boys.

To end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat for future generations, UNICEF now urge governments and partners to improve HIV testing and treatment data for children and adolescents to better respond to the needs of the vulnerable population.

“Invest in and implement effective and innovative interventions to urgently close the persistent testing and treatment gap for children and adolescents living with HIV,” he advised.

Source: Daily Post

Advocates of Senate Bill 159 say California is the first state to authorize pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), without prescriptions.

PrEP is a once-daily pill for HIV-negative people while PEP is a medication that people take to prevent the virus from taking hold.

Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, said Senate Bill 159 “is a huge improvement to removing a barrier” and helps reduce the stigma around the drugs, especially in rural areas and among minorities.

Nearly 30,000 people in California use PrEP and 6,000 use PEP, according to the California Health Benefits Review Program.

The California Medical Association was initially opposed to the legislation but became neutral about it after it was amended to limit the number of PrEP pills patients can get without a physician’s note to 60 days, said Anthony York, spokesman for the association.

The association was concerned about “long-term use without physician oversight,” he said.

The law also prohibits insurance companies from requiring patients to get prior authorization before using insurance to get the drugs, eliminating another obstacle.

Pharmacists in California are already authorized to dispense emergency contraceptives and birth control without a prescription.