Grim figures: 50,000 and 70,000 children get HIV every year in Nigeria – Health agency report

by Rachel Ogbu

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Scientists in the United States might have cured a baby born with the HIV virus but Nigeria is now ahead of other countries in new infant HIV statistics.

New reports claim about 70,000 children born every year are infected with HIV/AIDS through mother-to-child transmission.

The Chairman of the National (Presidential) Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV Task Team, Atiene Sagay, in an interview with Punch said: “Between 50,000 and 70,000 children acquire HIV every year in Nigeria starting from their mother and this is an extremely damaging report because Nigeria is now the leading country in terms of new infant HIV every year and nearly one third of new infections every year worldwide is occurring in Nigeria.

“This is not something that we want to continue and so we want to improve coverage of every facility that is providing antenatal care. That is what the group is working on with the Ministry of Health and President Goodluck Jonathan is bent on doing everything to make sure that this does not happen again.”

Sagay also said that the organization was resolute to make sure no more children born get infected with HIV from their mothers adding that government had set up ways by which this can be prevented.

 

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