The federal government is intensifying its efforts to combat HIV by focusing on local manufacturing of test kit reagents and other HIV-related products, according to Temitope Ilori, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).
Ilori emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling the disease, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to China underscored this priority. During the trip, an MoU was signed to facilitate in-country production of these reagents in Nigeria.
The NACA DG made this statement in Abuja on Wednesday while accepting a donation of 2,000 self-test kits and 2,000 professional test kits from Wondfo Biotech, an international HIV test kit manufacturer, ahead of World AIDS Day (WAD) on December 1.
WAD is observed annually to promote efforts toward eliminating HIV/AIDS.
While commending the donor for the initiative, the DG restated that NACA remains unwavering in its stride to combat HIV, adding that the donation would aid the efforts.
“Donating 2,000 self-test kits and 2,000 professional test kits to us in NACA to help us with our WAD is quite laudable because this will ensure that individuals can test for HIV, even in the comfort of their homes,” she stated tasked them with the domestication of their activities.
“I want to commend you for that initiative, and we look forward to having your domestic plants here in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Country Representative of Wondfo Biotech, Bravo Otohabru, noted that no effort is too little in the fight against HIV.
He said one of the effective means of curbing infection and spread of the disease is to empower individuals to be able to self-test their status at their convenience.
“We are using this to support the activities of NACA only ahead of the World AIDS Day.
“Beyond here, we also have a local representative that is reaching out to our private pharmacy outlets at a subsidized rate so that people can walk in, pick the test kits in the comfort of their rooms.
“They can test themselves if they are reactive, but the advice is that they should not panic. Go to a nearby hospital where HIV testing can be done again.
“They can repeat it there before we can say they are confirmed as HIV positive. The fact that someone tested today is negative does not mean that it’s negative forever.
“So it’s very important we continue to move ahead with all this activity that will make everybody aware, to know their status. HIV status is very important, as that is the starting point.
“Once you know that, then all other areas involved in HIV management can easily come in”.
The test kits are prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
