Worried by the increasing rate of HIV infection in Nigeria, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Centre for Disease Control (CDC), among others, have said that self-test will reduce the prevalence of HIV in Nigeria if properly monitored.
Speaking Friday in Nigeria during a one day symposium on “HIVST Programming in Nigeria: the journey so far”, the Project Director of the Faith-Based Action for Scaling-Up HIV Testing and Treatment for the Epidemic Response (FASTER) Project, Dr Chizoba Mbanefo, said that “improved understanding of the country’s HIV epidemic will allow for more efficient investments in the response to HIV and more effective planning for the provision of HIV prevention, care and treatment services, including a focus on population of interest such as children, adolescents and other key population.”
She said: “HIV/AIDS remains a public health concern for the Government of Nigeria. Results from the Nigeria National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) conducted in 2018 indicate a national prevalence in Nigeria of 1.4% among adults aged 15-49 years and estimates that there are 1.9 million people living with HIV in Nigeria.
“The NAIIS data also differentiates HIV prevalence by state, indicating an epidemic that is having a greater impact in certain areas of the country. Among children aged 0-14 years, HIV prevalence according to the NAIIS data, is 0.2%. Significant efforts have been made in recent years to stop new HIV infections among children. However, it is estimated that up to 80,000 children living with HIV are yet to be found.
“Available records from HIV treatment programs in Nigeria show that the country has made remarkable progress in scaling up HIV treatment and prevention services in recent years, with an estimated 1. 2 million persons on Antiretroviral treatment. The improved understanding of the country’s HIV epidemic will allow for more efficient investments in the response to HIV and more effective planning for the provision of HIV prevention, care and treatment services, including a focus on population of interest such as children, adolescents and other key population.
“Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic in the world and one of the highest rates of new infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Many people living with HIV in Nigeria are unaware of their status. Key to achieving the global goal of HIV epidemic control in 2030 is ensuring that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status. HIV testing uptake is negatively affected by supply problems with HIV testing kits and logistic and sub-optimal awareness on need for HIV testing.”
She added: “The onset of the COviD-19 Pandemic in Nigeria early this year and the consequent movement and person-to-person restrictions coupled with the financial and human resource burden created yet another barrier to HIV testing across the country.
“Innovative strategies are therefore required to increase uptake of HIV testing services, especially for populations with low access and those at higher risk that would otherwise not get tested due to one barrier or the other. One approach that shows promising outcome is the use of HIV Self Testing services.
“The Faith-Based Action for Scaling up Testing and Treatment for the Epidemic Response (FASTER) project is a two year (2019 – 2021) PEPFAR funded cooperative agreement between Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“FASTER is designed to accelerate progress in pediatric HIV diagnosis and treatment in four countries with high unmet need for child and adolescent antiretroviral therapy (ART): Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. In Nigeria, CRS leads the FASTER consortium, which includes Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and is implemented in partnership with governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), the private sector, and faith-based organizations.
“FASTER will catalyze progress towards achieving UNAID’s 95-95-95 targets by addressing structural barriers to pediatric HIV testing and treatment, expanding innovation, and scaling up what works through six priority actions: Which includes: Streamlining process of regulatory approvals for new drugs and diagnostics, improving the contribution of faith-based organisations and actors to the HIV response, expanding diagnostic platforms for HIV risk stratification strategies, and improving coverage of optimal regimen for HIV control. The FASTER project is implemented in 7 states (Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Benue, Nasarawa) and FCT.
“Today’s event provides a significant milestone and landmark achievement in detailing one of the strategies in the fight against HIV. It is indeed our wishes and prayers that the use of HIVST will be sustained and be catalytic towards achieving an HIV-Free generation in Nigeria by the year 2030.”
