HIV/AIDS: Sustaining the gains

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the World AIDS Day last week, there were cheering reports of a reduction in infection rate.  Reports also showed that the issue of stigmatization, which was one of the greatest problems encountered by people living with the disease in the early years, had been remarkably […]

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the World AIDS Day last week, there were cheering reports of a reduction in infection rate.  Reports also showed that the issue of stigmatization, which was one of the greatest problems encountered by people living with the disease in the early years, had been remarkably tackled. In a statement to commemorate the day, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said 3.4 million people in the country are infected with the virus, out of the 36.9 million persons living with the disease around the world.  He added that currently, Nigeria is treating about 800,000 people living with the virus with antiretroviral drugs, and that it is expected that the figure will significantly decrease with the implementation of 2014 treatment guideline.
He noted that the HIV/AIDS scourge has become one of the key drivers of change for public health and public health policy with enormous negative impact on the health of Nigerians and the economy. He said so far, HIV prevalence among youths (15-24 years) showed a consistent decline from 6.0 per cent in year 2001 to 2.9 per cent in 2004 which is suggestive of a reduction in new infections. National Agency for the Control of AIDS Director-General, Prof. John Idoko, on his part, said “Nigeria’s AIDS response has gained a steady momentum in the past four years. We have managed to turn the tide.
New infections have reduced by 35 per cent and we now need new commitment to ending AIDS by 2030″.Similarly,the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that in the Sub-Saharan Africa,  infections have reduced by 41 per cent in the last 15 years, more than   region in the worldý. Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, stated this on Tuesday during her speech at the ministry in commemorating the WAD.
She said “Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with nearly 26 million people living with the infection.”“Only 43per cent of people needing anti-retroviral treatment have access while only 52per cent of people living with HIV know their status. The target is to ensure that in the next five years, 90 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 90 per cent are offered therapy and ensure that 90 per cent achieve viral load suppression. There is no doubt that the fight against the scourge is yielding results and that is all due to proactive steps taken by state, national and international partners. 
However, we must point out here that we are not yet out of the woods. A situation, where only 800, 000 people out of the 3. 4 people infected with the virus have access to treatment is unacceptable. Across the country, there are complaints by people living with the virus that the drugs are not available. One of the reasons for the success recoded in the fight was the ability of the poor to access the drugs. But that is no longer the case, as across the country, they are complaints of scarcity of the drugs. Part of this is caused by reduction in funding by international partners, just as some states have been accused of not paying their counterpart funding.  It is understandable that government, due to the current economic situation and success recorded may want to push the issue to the back burner, but the danger with that, is that the number of people still living with the virus is not a figure that can easily be ignored and if those people are not well taken care of, it could lead to more infections, thereby making nonsense of the success already recorded. It is important that the tempo be sustained, both in the areas of awareness and provision of the drugs.
If after getting to this point in the fight, the entire struggle is abandoned, because international partners have pulled out, Nigeria will suffer for it. Sustainability is key to eradicating this scourge and all hands must be on deck to achieve that. The Nigerian government should rally all stakeholders to ensure adequate funding. The drugs should be made available and at affordable rate too, so that even the poor can have access to it. There is a need to match HIV interventions with the population of those living with the virus. Other societal ills that could increase infection such as homosexuality and drug addiction should be greatly discouraged as well.