Hiv is now leading other countries in
new infant HIV statistics, with about
70,000 children born annually
acquiring HIV/AIDS through mother-to-child
transmission,SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The Chairman of the National (Presidential)
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of
HIV Task Team, Prof. Atiene Sagay, said this in an interview with our correspondent during a meeting of the group in Abuja.
Sagay 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 added that the agency was determined to
ensure that babies don’t acquire HIV from their
mothers. Government has put in place means by
which this can be prevented,” he added.

Punch Nigeria