As Nigeria moves closer to achieving HIV epidemic control, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) has met with commissioners of health from the 18 CDC-supported states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to share HIV programme progress and to plan for the future.
Available statistics show that almost two million people in Nigeria are currently receiving HIV treatment through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
The US CDC supports about 1.2 million of these people in Abia, Delta, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Gombe, and FTC.
During the first consultative meeting of its type, state, agency, and implementing partner leadership discussed ways to sustain and build upon the recent successes of the HIV programme to achieve epidemic control.
Opening the event, US CDC country director, Dr. Mary Boyd, commended the commissioners for their initiative during the Antiretroviral Therapy Surge effort in their states, noting that the programme exceeded expectations.
She emphasized the need for strong state leadership of HIV programmes going forward and expressed US CDC’s commitment to listen to, understand, and join states in their journey to epidemic control.
