Total HIV cure in 10 years – NACA boss

Director-General, National Action for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr.
Sani Aliyu, has given the assurance that the world “is about 10 to 15
years of achieving total cure for HIV.”

According to him, though there is no cure for the epidemic at the
moment, there are very effective treatments available that will allow
people with the virus to live normal lives.

Aliyu declared this on Friday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a
three-day regional workshop for country coordinators of International
Community of Women Living with HIV West Africa (ICWWA) towards
achieving catch-up plans and attainment of 90-90-90 global prevention
targets.

He said “many countries are hitting 90-90-90 target, but Nigeria’s
biggest challenge is the first 90 which is the knowledge about people
living with HIV,” and that in Nigeria only about a third per cent of
the people living with HIV know their diagnosis.

“In Nigeria only about one in four Nigerians has ever had the HIV test
done. Our survey in past shows that majority, up to about 80 per cent;
that is eight out of 10 Nigerians would love to have the HIV test
done. It is that first 90 we really need to address.

“The second 90 which is the percentage of those who know their
diagnosis that are on treatment.  We are achieving about 80 to 83 per
cent of those that know their diagnosis, while the third 90 which is
the percentage that have the virological suppression in other words,
the drug is working very effectively about 70 percent,” he said.

Also speaking, the regional chairperson ICWWA, Ndeye Astou Dioup, said
“this training workshop is aimed at strengthening the capacity and
influence of ICWWA for countries to fully implement those strategies
as contained in West and Central Africa catch-up plans for women and
girls to fully access HIV prevention and care services.”

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