President
Goodluck Jonathan has expressed optimism that Nigeria is committed to
the elimination of HIV/AIDS by year 2030 in line with the resolution of
the African Union during a summit held last year in Abuja.
Also, the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, has expressed optimism that the world is
winning the war against HIV/AIDS.
Though Jonathan admitted that HIV/AIDS
remained a threat to the achievement of the government’s Transformation
Agenda, he said Nigeria was winning the war against the pandemic.
The President, represented by the
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said this on Sunday at Bwari
Area Council Secretariat in Abuja as Nigeria joined the world to
celebrate the 2013 World AIDS Day. The day is observed on December 1,
every year to universally reflect on the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Getting to Zero: Know your HIV status.”
Jonathan said, “Progress is being made
in Africa towards halting and reversing HIV as there is data to show
that new HIV infections are reducing, more people are accessing
treatment and there are fewer AIDS related deaths. I use this
opportunity to reiterate that the African Union member countries have
resolved to eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa by the year 2030.”
While calling on the state governors and
the private sector to support in the mobilization of fund for the
implementation of the Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV and related
infectious diseases, Jonathan urged Nigerians to know their HIV status
as a first step towards securing their future.
Ki Moon in his World AIDS Day message
said, “There are significant decreases in new infections and deaths, and
we are making good progress in realizing our target of ensuring 15
million people have access to antiretroviral treatment by 2015. This is
crucial to halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic for good.
“But, as revealed in the UNAIDS World
AIDS Day Report for 2013, there are still worrying signals that some
regions and countries are falling behind. We are making advances in
reaching vulnerable populations through efforts to eliminate stigma and
discrimination, but there is still much to do to end this problem. We
must recommit to breaking the remaining barriers, including punitive
laws and social exclusion, so we can reach all people who lack access to
HIV treatment and services.”
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