The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Temitope Ilori, on Monday said an estimated 15,000 children died of AIDS-related illnesses in the country in 2023.

Ilori stated this in Abuja at the candlelight event organised by the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.

The event was organized in collaboration with the World AIDS Day planning committee to remember those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS-related causes in commemoration of World AIDS Day.

Ilori said the event would also raise more awareness on the prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV, as well as enhance community and national commitment to ending AIDS.

“We want to ensure a generation free of HIV so that we will be able to achieve the global target of ending HIV as an epidemic come the year 2030. We are here to commemorate and remember our fallen heroes who have lost their lives in the fight against HIV.

“Unfortunately, just in the year 2023, we have an estimated number of 15,000 children that died as a result of AIDS-related illnesses. This is very worrisome to us as a country. And therefore we say together, we can stem this tide, and we can reverse this narrative,” she said.

The DG, while stressing the need to end stigmatisation against persons living with HIV, urged them to access care, maintain their treatment and continue with their medication to suppress the viral load.

She also reiterated the government’s commitment to ending the epidemic, adding that there is an increased domestic resource mobilization and allocation to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The National Coordinator of NEPWHAN, Abdulkadir Ibrahim said the event was also to celebrate the efforts of individuals and organisations who continue to work tirelessly towards controlling the epidemic.

Ibrahim, who was represented by the National Secretary of NEPWHAN, Nicholas Ugbenyen, advocated for policy change, funding, innovative practices, and accessible services to stop HIV among children to end AIDS by 2030.

He said, “We advocate for policy change, calling on all stakeholders to support policies and funding that prioritise the prevention and treatment of HIV in children. We also call for sustainable best practices and innovative approaches to sustaining the HIV response, particularly in pediatric care, to ensure long-term impact and support.

“We urge all to empower and engage the communities in advocacy efforts, encouraging grassroots participation in addressing the HIV epidemic among children, and ensuring their voices are heard.

“We advocate for accessible services, quality PMTCT services, including antenatal care, testing, and treatment for pregnant women living with HIV to ensure that “no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria”.

On her part, the National Coordinator of the Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Esther Hindi, stated that the association will continue to create more awareness of PMTCT in Nigeria.