No fewer than 14,000 People Living With HIV are currently accessing treatment at the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). The Director General, Prof. Innocent Ujah who disclosed this in a chat with Good Health Weekly said this is made possible following a functional virology laboratory which is now a national reference centre at the institute.

Ujah further said the HIV treatment programme being supported by the American government and the Federal government is currently at its best.

“I must confess that the programme is doing very well. We have over 14,000 patients on treatment at the moment. What we need is to continue to sustain the programme and also improve on it. But in doing so we need a lot of support.

“We are also looking at some opportunistic infections that worsen HIV/AIDS. For instance opportunistic infections like Tuberculosis. So if we are able to treat that, the progression will be reduced since it is an immune deflating disease. We treat all that, then of course we monitor the progress the patients are making at the laboratory level and see if they are responding to treatment.”

In an admonition to Nigerians, he stated that people with HIV & AIDS should not be discriminated against or stigmatised as the condition is like diabetes which is also chronic in nature. He said the clinic is challenged by shortage of staff even while appealing for more support from well-meaning Nigerians and corporate organisations.

He argued on the need to strengthen the Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme with a view to reducing HIV transmission.

Ujah stated that if Nigeria could contain the transmission of HIV from mother to child, it would be a very strategic option to reduce the transmission of HIV overall. The Institute plans to begin a national study on the leading cause of child death in the country. The research work would also generate data for future planning.

He said reearch has not been accorded any priority in Nigeria and called for a change.