The National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCP), has declared that Nigeria has successfully reduced the threat of HIV disease in the country and that it is no longer an epidemic.
This is sequel to a bid to fast track efforts at lowering rate of HIV disease transmission in the country by NASCP, in collaboration with PELTOM Global Services Ltd, Codix Pharma Limited involving roll out plans for training of healthcare personnel on the appropriate use of HIV 1and 2 Rapid Test Kit.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has launched its strategy and implementation plan for 2023 – 2027.
The unveiling was done at its Health Security Partners’ meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday.
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NASCP said that the federal government has been able to implement a testing and treatment programme that has significantly brought the spread of HIV under control.
Under the initiative with funding support from SD Biosensor, South Korea, NASCP will be conducting a 3-day National Training of Trainers (TOT) on WHO approved Standard Q HIV 1& 2 Rapid Test Kit in Nigeria. The training seeks to ensure the right and appropriate use of the product and also to monitor its performance and operational effectiveness on the field.
Following the ToT, over 900 additional testers would be trained across the 774 LGAs through a regional training in all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, National Coordinator of NASCP, Dr. Ade Bashorun, said the training will start on Thurday, 23rd November, 2023, in Abuja.
He said: ‘For us this is training is very important because we need to do everything possible to find out all the case of HIV in our country and after that we must also link them to treatment so that when they are linked to treatment and there are viral loads suppression and retention of treatment, the transmission in the country will be reduced. Increase in testing will also help us to reduce the transmission from mother to their children.
‘So the more we do the right thing in terms of testing, the more we reduce the risk of transmission. Now the interesting thing about what we are doing today, regarding the commencement of training for the Rapid test kit for HIV 1 and 2, is that it is an innovative programme which has not been embarked upon in the last 20 years in the country.’
Bashorun said that the outcome of the training will help produce better results from the HIV testing across the country adding that NASCP is committed to ensuring that Nigeria gets the best in terms of equipment and use of the device to drastically reduce the health challenges caused by HIV.
On the integrity and quality of the test kits, he said that all the brands of rapid test kits deployed in Nigeria have passed through quality assessment trials by NAFDAC.
Regarding the availability of the Rapid Test Kits, he said that (Cobi) is working in conjunction with Bio-censors to increase in-country production.
NCDC further said that a performance management structure has been instituted to oversee and coordinate the execution of various initiatives to assess NCDC’s progress towards achieving its strategic goals.