Govt's report raises fears over HIV spread
By Ben Ukwuoma and Chukwuma Muanya
AS Nigeria joins the rest of the world today to mark the World's AIDS Day, fresh fears have been raised over the increasing cases of the pandemic in the country.
A new report released by the Federal Ministry of Health showed that no fewer than four million people may die from the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the next four years in the country.
The projections embedded in the National Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Sero-prevalence Sentinel Survey, showed that the HIV prevalence is expected to rise from between 4.6 per `cent and 5.4 per cent in 2004 to 4.5 per cent and 5.3 percent in 2008.
"By 2008 there would be a cumulative death figure of 3.6 to 4.2 million from AIDS," the report stated.
"Estimates and projections using Epidemic Projection Package (EPP) show the number of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA) in Nigeria as at the end of 2003 to be between 3.2 and 3.8 million. In the low prevalence scenario, this is expected to rise to 3.4 million by 2005 and 3.7 million by 2008, while in the high scenario the number will rise to four million by 2005 and 4.3 million by 2008."
Findings from the national survey showed that the nation's median HIV prevalence was five per cent, which was lower than the 2001 prevalence of 5.8 per cent.
The state HIV prevalence ranged from 1.2 per cent in Osun State to 12 per cent in Cross River State. According to the report, there were increases in prevalence in some states over the 2001 results. In fact 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had prevalence rates of over five percent.
The age group 20 to 24, according to the report, had the highest prevalence of 5.6 percent, while the prevalence for women aged 15 to 24 was 5.2 per cent.
In fact, in three zones, the survey showed that the highest age specific prevalence was among women aged between 20 and 24 years. Apparently concerned with the findings, which showed that young people still constitute a large proportion of those infected, National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) said yesterday that its intervention for next year will focus mainly on the youths.
NACA chairman, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin said, "we have agreed that no matter what we do within our states and line ministries, the youth is going to be the focus in 2005. We are all going to address the issue of youths and this is a major shift. We will be looking at youth-out-of-school and even develop how to engage youths in primary schools so that we can move the process, leverage and utilise resources better.
"We are refocusing on youths because from the latest surveillance reports, most new infections occur in youths and we also know that if there is going to be a difference in the epidemic, we need to work with the youth. For instance, looking at the prevention strategies put in place; it is the youth that we talk to in terms of abstinence, fidelity and condom usage. That is where the burden of the AIDS disease is and that is where we must attack," he stated
He said the theme for this year, which is "Women, Girls and HIV", is to draw attention that women are more affected by HIV/AIDS.
"It seems there is a feminisation of the epidemic and so there is a need to address that in order to call attention of the entire world to the situation. They are affected not only in terms of infection but also by the fact that the burden of support and care rests squarely on their shoulders," he added.
Meanwhile, the country's hope of meeting World Health Organisation's (WHO) Initiative of treating at least 400,000 Persons Living With HIV/ AIDS (PLWHA) by December 2005 has received a boost from the United States. The U.S. plans to inject about N19.6 billion ($150 million) into Nigeria's HIV/AIDS programme in 2005.
The Director of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Dawn Liberi, had on Monday in Abuja at the launching of the "Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief," a partnership deal between U.S. and Nigeria, said the money was part of the $50 billion HIV/AIDS relief grant to be given to 15 countries in five years.
According to Liberi, the money was the first instalment. The amount to be released for each of the subsequent years would be expanded if targets were met. She insisted Nigeria must show results for expansion of funds to be made possible in subsequent years.
She said that with the money, about 350,000 infected persons would receive anti retro-viral (ARV) treatment, 1.1 million infections would be avoided, and 1.7 million people, including 400,000 orphans and children, would receive care and support.
Osotimehin lauded the U.S. government for the gesture and restated the committee's commitment to the prevention, care, support and treatment of PLWHA. He also revealed plans by NACA to increase the number of PLWHA.
Before now, most experts have expressed doubts over the possibility of most African countries including Nigeria meeting WHO's "3 by 5" Initiative - to treat three million PLWHA in developing countries by December 2005.
They argued that with barely 13 months to the deadline, most developing countries, especially in Africa, do not have adequate capacity on ground to provide ARV drugs - for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
According to WHO's "3 by 5" Initiative, 20 per cent of PLWHA in a country are eligible and need immediate treatment at any given time. But only 50 per cent of these should be on ARV treatment by December 2005.
A report recently published shows that only about 16,000 out of an eligible 800,000 PLWHA that need ARV are now on Federal Government's highly subsidised National ARV programme, which began in 2002. However, to meet WHO's "3 by 5" target, Nigeria is expected to treat 400,000 PLWHA by December 2005.
|
