Date: April 13 2006
Venue: Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja
Even with 8,000 people dying daily and 14,000 more becoming infected with HIV/AIDS, tremendous progress has been made by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Nigeria in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge. These were the major themes of an address given by U.S. Ambassador John Campbell at a joint media briefing on the activities of PEPFAR with the honorable Minister of Health Professor Eyitayo Lambo and the Chairman, National Committee on AIDS Professor Babatunde Osotimehin at the Federal Secretariat Abuja on Thursday, April 13. In a power-point presentation, Chief of Party Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Dr. John Vertefeuille discussed the various impacts PEPFAR has had in Nigeria, as well as revealing the activities of such programs as the Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVs) treatment, the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTC) services, and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program. Nigeria has an estimated prevalence rate of 5 percent with over 3.5 million cases of HIV/AIDS and carries the third largest HIV/AIDS burden in the world. Also present at the briefing were the Minister of State for Defense Roland Oritsejifor and the Department of Defense/Ministry of Defense Program Manager Graham Chadwick. The PEPFAR program was launched with a $15 billion commitment which has been described as the largest commitment ever by a single nation towards an international health initiative. Nigeria is one of the 15 focus countries targeted by the program. Already $198 million has been expended in Nigeria and the country is to receive $163 million in 2006 for the expansion of the program. Please follow the link to view photos taken at the event. Ambassador Campbell's Remarks at The Press Briefing
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