Health
A Professor of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Sulaimon Akanmu, has said efforts must be intensified to achieve the three key criteria for ending HIV/AIDS.
He said this is part of efforts to meet the 2030 global targets for ending the epidemic.
Akanmu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday on the sidelines of a three-day training organised by the National HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Control Programme (NASCP) for healthcare professionals.
The training, held in Lagos, is aimed at enhancing the technical knowledge of healthcare workers and ensuring the effective and safe rollout of lenacapavir, a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) HIV prevention intervention.
He said the three key criteria included ensuring that no new HIV infections were recorded, and that people living with HIV were unable to transmit the virus to others.
Akanmu, who is also the Chairman of the National Task Team on Antiretroviral Therapy, said the third criterion was achieving an incidence-prevalence ratio of less than 0.33.
He explained that it meant that for every person living with HIV, transmission is reduced, resulting in a significant decline in new infections over time.
On the training, the haematologist said it was designed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills needed to deliver HIV prevention services effectively.
Akanmu, who is also one of the resource persons at the training, said the broader national goal was for Nigeria to be among countries expected to announce an end to the HIV epidemic by 2030.
“This training is focused on teaching healthcare workers the science behind the new medication, proper administration procedures, general strategies, and methods of safely targeting vulnerable populations.
“The whole idea is that we are hoping that by 2030, Nigeria will be part of the countries of the world to announce an end to the HIV epidemic,” he said.
He emphasised that oral PrEP had already been in use but that adherence to daily tablets had been a challenge for many users.
According to him, the introduction of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable HIV prevention drug that can protect individuals for up to six months after administration, will significantly improve prevention outcomes.(NAN)
F.O
Tags: 2030 targets HIV