The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a health initiative targeted at curbing the spread of HIV from mother to child in Oyo State.

The Accelerating Progress in Pediatrics and PMTCT (AP3) programme is to identify HIV cases among pediatric and adolescent populations.

A statement from the consulate in Lagos on Wednesday said the AP3 will support Nigeria’s health system by providing treatment and controlling HIV epidemic among mother and child. 

Speaking at the event in Ibadan, the U.S. Consul General, Will Stevens, emphasised that “existing gaps in identifying pediatric, adolescent, and mother-to-child HIV cases must be closed to ensure everyone has access to life-saving medications.”

Mr Stevens commended the effort of healthcare workers for their tremendous progress in curbing the spread of HIV among people during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Taiwo Oladipo, the state commissioner for Health said the government is committed to ensuring that people living with HIV have access to the program.

He lauded the partnership between the U.S. government and CDC, for supporting the people of Oyo state and making the AP3 programme available and accessible to the people. 

The AP3 program is an initiative deployed to address the gaps in the PMTCT program and reduce the spread of HIV infections among children under the age of 10.

The programme is government-led and community-focused, with community testers, pediatric case managers, mentor mothers, orphans, vulnerable children case managers, and roving data entry clerks at its core.