By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
HIV Self-Testing, HIVST, has been identified as part of a broader strategy to eliminate Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV(EMTCT) in Nigeria.
The remark contained in a statement made available to journalists, Friday, in Makurdi to mark this year’s World AIDS Day, on the theme ” Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right, Managing Partner/Impact Officer of MOZUK Future Solutions Ltd, Dr. Godwin Emmanuel stressed the need to examine some of the gaps which must be urgently bridged in the country to achieve mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria.
According to Dr Emmanuel, thousands of children are born each year with HIV, largely due to inadequate access to testing and treatment during pregnancy, revealing that the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNSAIDS) had estimated that Nigeria contributes about 22 percent of global paediatric HIV cases which he noted indicates the urgent need for innovative approach to curb mother- to- child- transmission, MTCT.
He said the study which was led by Dr Toriola Adebayo of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and Usman Bashir of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, targeted underserved communities where healthcare access is limited, explaining that during the period, self-testing kits were provided with essential counseling to pregnant mothers.
The statement according to the managing partner of MOZUK Future Solutions Ltd, Dr Emmanuel, said the two Doctors during the period articulated the role of local expertise in advancing healthcare solutions tailored to community needs, adding that the intervention targeted 182 TBA clinics across three Local Government Areas in Lagos and Kano also equipped them with HIVST kits.
He explained that TBAs received extensive training on the administration of the test, pre- and post- test counseling and linkage to care for those who tested positive, revealing further that among the 1,982 pregnant women enrolled in the study,pre- intervention testing rates were markedly low, with just 60 percent in Lagos and 38 percent in Kano having ever been tested for HIV.
Dr Emmanuel also revealed that after the introduction of HIVST testing update surge with participants voluntarily using Kit’s during antenatal visits,the results were promising with 0.8 percent overall positive rate being recorded with slightly higher rates in Lagos of 1.1 percent compared to Kano which had 0.8 percent.
He said the success of the initiative has examplified how HIVST could become a cornerstone of affirmative action against paediatric HIV infections, adding that it has demonstrated the effectiveness of the TBA led model in bridging gaps in healthcare success.
Dr Emmanuel also stated that as evidenced by the success of the Lagos and Kano initiative, when confidential, stigma reduction and leveraging trusted community figures like TBAs are prioritized,HIVST could have the potential to transform PMTCT efforts across Nigeria.
He expressed optimism that sustained investment, community buy-in and political will could move the country closer to a future where no child is born with HIV and every mother having the opportunity to live healthy and fulfilling life, adding that the HIV self- testing kits will offer a simple, private and effective means of determining HIV status.