The United States (U.S.) has debunked rumors making the rounds that it was contemplating withdrawing or reducing N88.4 billion budgeted for implementation of Nigeria's National HIV response.

U.S. Charge d' Affaires, Maria Brewer, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a programme to mark the 2014 World AIDS Day with the theme; "Focus, Partner, Achieve: an AIDS-free Generation."
"The United States is not withdrawing from its AIDS-related programs. The U.S. contribution to Nigeria's National HIV response has maintained a level of close to a half a billion U.S. dollars a year from 2012 to 2015, with an expectation to continue at the same level through 2016," she noted.

According to her, latest data from UNAIDS indicated that young people represent 40 per cent of all new infections, meaning 890,000 young people were infected every year, or nearly 2500 every day.

However, the United States has said that in the past 10 ten years (2004 to 2014), it has so far supported the Nigerian government with over 3.5 million dollars, which is equivalent to N580 billion in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Also, since 2012, the U.S. government has been contributing over half a billion US dollars to Nigeria HIV response programme and that the tempo would continue to 2016.

She explained that the U.S. from time to time reviews its strategies in Nigeria to focus on the highest impact interventions in key geographic areas.

"In 2014 alone, nearly 8.7 million people received HIV counselling and testing services. More than 55,000 pregnant women have been provided anti-retroviral drugs for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV," she said.

Earlier, Dr Abiye Kalaiwo of the USAID, enjoined parents to educate their wards about sex to prevent them accessing the wrong information elsewhere.

.com.ng

Or has our politicians decided to steal N88.4 billion and blame it on US. After all "America-Will-Know"