540,000 men, women and children are on HIV treatment — PEPFAR

President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on Friday said that about 540,000 men, women and children are on HIV treatment.
The results which were made available to Vanguard by PEPFAR on    AIDS stated that the financial year for 2013 alone  approximately 572,000 people have been reached with community outreach programs promoting prevention of HIV. Nearly 6.7 million people have been reached with HIV counseling and testing services.
About 47,000 pregnant women have been provided antiretroviral drugs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Approximately 790,000 adults and children living with HIV/AIDS have received care to support quality of life, including TB/HIV care services and; about 530,000children orphaned by AIDS and other vulnerable children received care and support.
PEPFAR’s response to the global AIDS crisis has also helped to establish a robust health care delivery capacity in partner countries – often where little or none previously existed – that not only addresses HIV, but also a broader range of health issues, including tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal and child health.
Meanwhile the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle on Friday said that the Federal Capital Territory Abuja has an HIV prevalence rate of 8.6 percent (well above the national median of 4.1 percent), and the Bwari Local Government Area, where the MAPA community is situated, has the highest HIV prevalence in the FCT.
Entwiste made this known at the   commissioning of   Mapa Community Clinic in commemoration of World AIDS Day.
The clinic’s goal is to provide antenatal care and delivery services to women in the Mapa and surrounding communities to reduce maternal deaths and the resultant number of orphans and vulnerable children in these communities. Services for preventing mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus also will be offered at the clinic.
”The grant of approximately $10,000 was provided to the community for the construction of the clinic and to pay for clinic furniture and equipment
He noted that the U.S. Congress passed legislation renewing president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief for another five years, the second time the program has been extended, and highlighted “the commitment of the American people to ensure that our Nigerian friends and partners have the resources and support they need to effectively treat and prevent HIV/AIDs.”

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