Nigeria Leads the world in number children contacting HIV-UN report

Nigeria 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 world

The 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
solution

This 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,”

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