Listen to this articleMicheal Olugbode
The United States Government yesterday said it had disbursed more than $7.8 billion by way of its President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to assist Nigeria increase the fight against HIV/AIDS.
This was contained in a press release by the US Mission to Nigeria commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Impact by way of PEPFAR, marked yearly on 28 January.
The assertion said the $7.8 billion was to make sure that Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS had complete entry to high quality HIV prevention, care, and therapy companies.
It said the funding translated to offering more than 1.9 million Nigerians with entry to antiretroviral therapy (ART).
“In Nigeria, PEPFAR has disbursed over 7.8 billion {dollars} to make sure that all Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS have complete entry to high quality HIV prevention, care, and therapy companies.
“Today, Nigeria is on the cusp of HIV epidemic management and is approaching the worldwide ‘95-95-95’ goals.
“That is 95 per cent of people with HIV know their HIV standing, 95 per cent of these with identified HIV an infection are accessing therapy and 95 per cent of these receiving therapy have achieved an undetectable viral load.
“Our commitment to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal,” it said.
According to the assertion, PEPFAR is the most important dedication by any nation to addressing a single illness in historical past and represents the perfect of American values.
It said the US had invested more than $100 billion in the worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS and supported over 20.1 million people on HIV therapy in over 50 international locations globally in the last 20 years.
“Our twenty years of investments have modified the course of the HIV pandemic by controlling it and not using a vaccine or a remedy. Through PEPFAR, we have laid the groundwork for the eventual eradication of HIV.
“As President Joe Biden declared on World AIDS Day 2022 ‘We finally have the scientific understanding, treatments and tools to build an AIDS-free future where everyone – no matter who they are, where they come from, or whom they love – can get the care and respect they deserve.’”
