NACA tasks stakeholders on meeting HIV/AIDS 2030 elimination target

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has urged stakeholders in the HIV and AIDS national response to ensure the success of the sustainability agenda of ending the endemic by 2030.

Dr. Gambo Gumel, the Director-General of NACA, made the call after a meeting with development partners and stakeholders in Abuja.

He also urged stakeholders to initiate the sustainability process to ensure Nigeria takes ownership and control of the HIV and AIDS national response when foreign funds cease to flow.

”We need to identify sustainable structures that support health services across federal and state institutions for service integration as key to sustaining HIV response in the country,” he said.

Dr. Yewande Olaifa, Deputy Director at NACA, said: “The agenda is an effective and efficient HIV response owned, driven, resourced, and led by the people and the government of Nigeria at different levels.

“With support from her partners in line with the Paris Declaration of 2005.”

NAN reports that United Nations Member States committed to implementing a bold agenda to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 8, 2016, to June 10, 2016.

The main targets for combating HIV/AIDS in the next 15 years include: by 2020, reduce by 30 percent new cases of chronic viral hepatitis B and C infections and reach 3 million people with hepatitis C virus treatment;

Others say that by 2020, 70 percent of countries will have at least 95 percent of pregnant women screened for syphilis, 95 percent of pregnant women screened for HIV, and 90 percent of pregnant women living with HIV receiving effective treatment. By 2020, screen every woman living with HIV for cervical cancer.

Others are: By 2020, expand access to family planning information, services, and supplies to an additional 120 million women and girls in 69 priority countries, by 2020, reduce the number of tuberculosis deaths among people living with HIV by 75 percent;

World leaders also agreed that by 2025, they intend to achieve a 25 percent relative reduction in the overall mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory diseases; by 2025, they intend to reach 80 percent availability of affordable basic technologies and essential medicines, including generic medications, required to treat major non-communicable diseases in both public and private facilities. (NAN)