US CDC, state health commissioners plan for HIV epidemic control

Etim Ekpimah

As Nigeria moves closer to achieving HIV epidemic control, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) met with commissioners of health from the 18 CDC-supported states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to share HIV programme progress and to plan for the future.

US CDC Country Director, Dr Mary Boyd, during the first consultative meeting of its type, state, agency, and implementing partner leadership discussed ways to sustain and build upon the recent successes of the HIV program to achieve epidemic control.

Boyd praised the commissioners for their initiative during the Antiretroviral Therapy Surge effort in their states, noting that the program exceeded expectations. She emphasized the need for strong state leadership of HIV programs going forward and expressed US CDC’s commitment to listen to, understand, and join states in their journey to epidemic control.

Boyd said: “Almost 2 million people in Nigeria are currently receiving HIV treatment through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“The US CDC supports about 1.2 million of these people in Abia, Delta, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Rivers, Gombe, and FTC.”