$81m US project identifies 79,000 HIV-positive Nigerians for treatment

An $81 million project funded by the US government since 2009 has ended after helping to push HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis services to more than 200,000 people in eight states. It identified more than 79,000 people who tested positive to HIV, and put 90% of them on treatment, including more than 10,000 HIV-positive pregnant women. The […]

An $81 million project funded by the US government since 2009 has ended after helping to push HIV/AIDs and tuberculosis services to more than 200,000 people in eight states.

It identified more than 79,000 people who tested positive to HIV, and put 90% of them on treatment, including more than 10,000 HIV-positive pregnant women.

The project, Prevention Organisatioal Systems AIDS Care and Treatment (Pro-ACT) worked to build capacity of public and private sectors alongside communities to sustain prevention, control, care and treatment for HIV and TB, according to its director Med Makumbi.

The project estimates it had averted more than 3,000 new child infections of HIV.

At least 31,000 of all identified in testing are currently on antiretroviral in the eight states of Taraba, Adamawa, Kogi, Niger, Kwara, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto.

Quality, not just quantity

Pro-ACT, which lasted seven years until its end this year, helped screen more than 81,000 people for tuberculosis and provided treatment for more than 17,000.

In comments at a dissemination meeting to mark the end of the project, Dr Zipporah Kpamor, country representative of Management Sciences for Health, which implemented Pro-ACT, said it supported training and on-site mentoring of health care workers providing HIV care, treatment and prevention of mother to child transmission of the virus.

“The programme also procured and distributed laboratory equipment and provided a steady supply of anti-retrovirals, opportunistic infection drugs, rapid test kits, laboratory reagents and consumables to health facilities,” she added.

At least 10% of spending on Pro-ACT is expected to fund a future two-year programme to shore up lessons the project has produced in how Nigerian state governments can take responsibility for interventions.

“You really can’t quantify it; it is about the quality of life of the people," said Kpamor.

"Nigerians are a responsibility of the Nigerian government. How well and healthy Nigerians are living is a tribute to how much the government is expending on health and social services.

“A lot of the times, you are not able to count the dollars and you really can’t put an amount on the life of a child that you have saved because he did not get HIV from his mother.”

Pro-ACT support in proposal development helped 32 civil society organisations raise more than $32m from separate donors to provide care and support for more than 145,000 people most at risk, including 56,400 people living with HIV and 33,600 vulnerable children, its findings showed.