Nigeria, 7 others could run out of HIV drugs – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Nigeria and seven other countries could soon run out of drugs following the United States government’s funding freeze. The Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who gave the warning during a news conference, said the disruptions to HIV programmes could undo 20 years of progress, […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that Nigeria and seven other countries could soon run out of drugs following the United States government’s funding freeze.

The Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who gave the warning during a news conference, said the disruptions to HIV programmes could undo 20 years of progress, and also lead to more than 10 million additional cases of HIV and three million HIV-related deaths.

Ghebreyesus said countries, which could run out of live-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medicines in coming months include Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, Haiti and Ukraine

He said, “We ask the US to reconsider its support for global health, which not only saves lives around the world, it also makes the US safer by preventing outbreaks from spreading.”

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An estimated 25 million people are living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.

About 1.9 million people live with HIV in Nigeria with about 1.6 million on treatment.

US President Donald Trump announced the funding freeze on his first day in office in January. The order had directed all government agencies managing foreign development aid to suspend the disbursement of funds.

However, on 28 January, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio issued a temporary waiver on aspects of the freeze including for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that funds HIV.

According to UNAIDS, more than 20 million people living with HIV, representing two-thirds of all people living with HIV receiving treatment globally, are directly supported by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – the world’s leading HIV initiative.

PEPFAR has been critical in providing funding and support for Nigeria’s HIV treatment for over two decades.

Over the years, PEPFAR has contributed over $6 billion to Nigeria’s national HIV/AIDS response, saving lives and helping the prevention and c spread of the disease.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) had last month welcomed the United States government’s decision to continue lifesaving HIV medicines and medical services.

The Director General of the agency, Dr. Temitope Ilori in a statement said the waiver allows for the continuous distribution of HIV medications (ARVs) and medical services supported by PEPFAR in Nigeria.

She said, “The Nigerian government appreciates the U.S. government waiver and is mindful of the potential change to foreign aid in the near future under the new administration.”

She said the Nigerian government would intensify domestic resource mobilisation strategies towards ownership and sustainability of the HIV response in the country, with a view to reducing the risks of donor aid policy shifts to the HIV response while ensuring that the country’s strategic goals and targets in the fight against HIV are achieved.

The NACA DG said Nigeria has the highest number of people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in West and Central African region, adding that over the past two decades, partners in the global AIDS response have intensively supported the Nigerian government and institutions in the country, to scale-up prevention, treatment, care, and support for those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

She said through effective stakeholder collaboration, creating favourable policies and enabling environment and advocacy to policy makers, Nigeria can still achieve the target of ending AIDS by 2030.

She enjoined the patient community to continue accessing HIV treatment services in service delivery points across the country and appealed to all state governors, private sector partners, members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, civil society organizations, the media and all other relevant stakeholders, to continue in their commitment and support to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.