Nigeria Loses 15,000 Lives to AIDS Every Year: A Call for Urgent Action
According to health officials, AIDS kills almost 15,000 individuals in Nigeria annually, which is a heartbreaking discovery. The concerning figure highlights how urgently the nation’s fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic needs to be redoubled.
With more than 1.9 million people living with HIV, Nigeria continues to rank among the most impacted countries in sub-Saharan Africa, despite notable advancements in recent years. The fight against the virus is nevertheless hindered by numerous issues, despite efforts to decrease new infections and increase access to treatment.
Wellbeing specialists property the high death rate to a few elements, including restricted admittance to life-saving antiretroviral treatment (Workmanship), late finding, and social disgrace. In many pieces of the country, mindfulness crusades have battled to arrive at weak populaces, prompting an absence of testing and deferred treatment for the people who need it.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Chief General of the Nigeria Place for Infectious prevention (NCDC), featured the criticalness of the circumstance:
“We are losing an excessive number of lives to an illness that is preventable and treatable. We really want to fortify our medical services frameworks, grow admittance to testing, and guarantee that those analyzed get the essential consideration and backing.”
The Nigerian government is dedicated to reaching the 2030 target of eliminating the AIDS epidemic as a hazard to public health, as are international organizations such as UNAIDS. To reach this goal, however, quick action is desperately needed given the present rate of new infections and fatalities.
Experts are calling for a holistic strategy to tackle the pandemic, one that addresses the social determinants that contribute to HIV transmission, reduces mother-to-child transmission, and increases ART coverage. The yearly mortality toll of 15,000 in the absence of these crucial treatments serves as a sobering reminder of the continued difficulties in Nigeria’s fight against HIV/AIDS.
