The Kaduna State Government with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) to 1,335 pregnant and breastfeeding women in the state in 2020.
Mrs Nafisa Musa, Head of Reproductive Health and Family Planning, State Primary Health Care Board (SPHCB), made this known in Kaduna on Friday at the UNICEF and Kaduna State 2020 End of Year Review and Planning Meeting.
Musa, a Deputy Director in SPHCB, said that the lifelong access to ART was to ensure effective Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV by HIV positive pregnant and breastfeeding women.
She said that the 1,335 women represented 66 per cent of the 1,625 HIV pregnant and breastfeeding women targeted within the year under review.
She said that UNICEF had supported the state to develop integrated data driven plans for prevention of HIV in women, children and adolescents in the 23 local government areas of the state in 2020.
“UNICEF also supported the development of functional coordination platforms for prevention and treatment of HIV in women, children and adolescents in the 23 local government councils.
“We also have community action platforms that promote uptake of HIV services by pregnant women, their infants, partners and families, and by adolescents in all the 23 LGAs.
“Also, as at September, 766 HIV exposed infants received virological tests for HIV within two months of birth, representing 38 per cent of the 812 targeted for the year,” Musa said.
The deputy director also said that 110,865 live births were attended by skilled health personnel from 234,911 targeted for the year.
She added that 21,670 new-borns received post-natal care within two days of birth from the 128,467 targeted for the year.
“Similarly, 270,362 children aged 12 to 23 months were fully immunised as at September out of the 238,582 targeted for 2020.
“Also, 2.6 million children zero to 59 months received polio vaccine during the February 2020 campaigns, more than the 2.4 targeted.
“As at September, 278,352, children aged less than 12 months received Penta 3 Vaccine, representing 77 per cent of the 367,049 targeted in 2020,” she said.
She commended UNICEF for the laudable support and reiterated the government’s continued commitment toward eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and AIDS, as well as improved access to quality health services.
Earlier, Mr Olanipekun Sola, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna, said that N250.7 million was expended on various health and HIV/AIDS interventions in the state as at October 2020.
Sola added more interventions were ongoing.
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