The Director General of the National Agency for AIDS Control (NACA), Temitope Ilori, has emphasised the federal government’s strong commitment to combating HIV/AIDS in the country.

She made the declaration on Wednesday, during the inauguration of the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMCT) and Paediatric HIV/AIDS Accelerated Committee in Jalingo.

She reassured Nigerians that HIV drugs would be consistently available in all hospitals, supported by enhanced funding from the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to ensure the availability of drugs and testing kits nationwide.

Ms Ilori also urged the newly formed committee to focus on making Taraba HIV-free, stressing that mother-to-child transmission remained a major route for spreading the virus.

She highlighted the significance of collaboration with various partners to implement effective awareness campaigns and responses nationwide.

She said that a key part of the initiative was the inclusion of interfaith groups, aimed at sensitising women to HIV testing during antenatal and postnatal care.

Ms Ilori commended the Taraba State for its ongoing efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, acknowledging the state’s previous high prevalence rate in the North-East.

Taraba’s Commissioner for Health, Bodiya Boma, outlined the state’s goal of reducing its HIV prevalence from 2.9 per cent to a much lower rate, with Governor Agbu Kefas prioritising funding for PMCT programmes, targeting eradication by 2030.

Chairman of the Taraba AIDS Control Agency (TACA), Timothy Wubon, expressed support for NACA’s initiative and vowed that the state would secure the resources needed to fund HIV/AIDS projects.

(NAN)