Alarming: Nigeria leads the world in number of children contacting HIV- UN report Premium Times - 2 hours agoINVESTIGATION/SPECIAL REPORTS, NEWSHealth experts say government must do more to stop the trend.By Tobore OvuorieNigeria has the highest number of children contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, in the world, the latest report by the United Nations has shown.The report says nearly 60,000 Nigerian children were infected with the virus in 2012, a figure higher than that of any other country in the world, and is a source of worry for experts with one describing it as “alarming.”The report titled “2013 PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GLOBAL PLAN: towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive” is the most recent on the global plan which seeks an elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015, as well as keep their mothers alive. The programme was launched in July 2011 at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).Also, despite the efforts of the federal and state governments to check the spread of HIV, the report shows that the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children has remained relatively stagnant with no significant improvement; while that of several other countries was improving with fewer prevalence rates than before.“In several countries, the pace of decline in the numbers of children newly infected has been slow and the numbers have actually risen in Angola. Nigeria has the largest number of children acquiring HIV infection- nearly 60, 000 in 2012, a number that has remained largely unchanged since 2009,” the report stated.Nigeria affects the worldThe UN said it is worried about the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children.The global body warned that if Nigeria doesn’t sit up in curbing HIV in children, the global target, part of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, will not be realised by 2015.“Without urgent action in Nigeria, the global target for 2015 is unlikely to be reached,” the report stated.Also, while Nigeria witnessed stagnancy, since 2009, in the prevalence of HIV among children, several other Sub Saharan African countries, witnessed a massive reduction in the prevalence rate of the condition.Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia all witnessed a 50 per cent decline in new HIV infections in children, while two more countries- the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe- are very close to achieving this target; prompting the UN to warn Nigeria to sit up in the fight against HIV in children.Nigeria’s comparatively poor performance in combating HIV transmission to children also reflected among the 21 countries under the Global Plan watch of the UN.“Nigeria accounts for one third of all new HIV infections among children in the 21 priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa: the largest number of any country. Progress here is therefore critical to eliminating new HIV infections among children globally.“Nearly all indicators assessed show stagnation and suggest that Nigeria is facing significant hurdles,” the report stated.The report stated that “the 21 countries (those under the Global Plan watch) had 210,000 newly infected children in 2012. This represents a reduction of 130,000 new infections annually or a 38 percent drop from 2009 when these countries had 340,000 new HIV infections among children”.It was however, not all sad tales, as the report commended some of the efforts of the government in checking the spread of HIV.“However, the government has already taken a bold step to focus on the 12+1 states with the highest burden of HIV, which account for about 70% of new HIV infections.“In addition, it is rapidly scaling up service delivery to stop new HIV infections among children and has embarked on an intensive state-focused data-driven decentralization initiative,” the report stated.Experts identify problems, proffer solutionThis latest report by the UN is already a source of concern for experts in the health sector.The Executive Director, Centre For Women’s Health And Adolescents’ Development, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Helen Odega, described the report as alarming.“it is an alarming report which means more effort has to be put in place to curb this embarrassing menace,” she said in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.Page 1 of 3 | Next pageRelated posts:New HIV infections among children reduced by half in 7 countries – UN report1.8mn Nigerian children orphaned by HIV/AIDS related death –Health officialU.S. spends N450bn on Nigeria’s health sector programmes in 10 yrs – EnvoyHIV: UNICEF wants more Mother- To-Child transmission prevention centresSHOCKING: Nigeria holds world record in number of children out of schoolFacebook ShareTwitter ShareBack to
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 06:45:14 +0000
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