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Estimated 1.3 million People Infected with HIV in 2023

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Estimated 1.3 million People Infected with HIV in 2023

By: Michael Mike

An estimated 1.3 million people became infected with HIV in 2023, three times more than the target of fewer than 370,000 by 2025. While there has been marked progress in sub-Saharan Africa, for the first time, in 2023 more than half of the new HIV infections occurred outside of sub-Saharan Africa, a report released on Wednesday said.

The report by the Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GBC), said the rising new HIV infections are evident in several countries, particularly in countries where key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people and people who use drugs, are most affected, and investment in prevention was lower, noting that key populations and their sexual partners now represent the majority (55%) of new HIV infections globally, up from 44% in 2010.

The Global HIV Prevention Coalition (GBC), established in 2017, is addressing the HIV prevention crisis. Focusing on 40 countries the GPC, a coalition of United Nations Member States and partners including UNAIDS, donors, civil society and private sector organizations, is working to strengthen and sustain political commitment for HIV prevention.

GPC Co-chair and Former Minister of Health, Botswana. Prof. Sheila Tlou, said: “The HIV epidemic has evolved – now more than ever, we need resilient capacity to deliver and manage integrated, differentiated and equitable HIV prevention interventions,”

There has been great variation in progress among GPC member countries; the biggest declines occurred in countries within eastern and southern Africa including Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe, where new HIV infections were reduced by more than 66% and which are on track to achieve the global target of 90% reduction by 2030 – and, to a lesser extent, in western and central Africa. Expansion of access to effective HIV treatment, combined with an ongoing focus on primary prevention, are driving those achievements.

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director for Programmes, Angeli Achrekar said: “The moment of opportunity for HIV prevention is now,” adding that: “Today, we have a wider range of prevention options including new long-acting antiretroviral prevention—with the new results about lenacapavir—a twice yearly injection to prevent HIV—providing a promising game-changing option—and new opportunities to communicate about HIV prevention and health.”

According to the report, Long-acting technologies like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) will play a major role in preventing new infections in the coming years. Access is increasing, but only in a few countries. Around 3.5 million people were accessing PrEP (antiretroviral medicine which prevents HIV) in 2023 up from just 200 000 in 2017, but this remains far short of the 10 million target set for 2025.

New HIV prevention products in the pipeline such as long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) and most recently, lenacapavir, are raising expectations due to their combination of convenience and high efficacy. However, the key is accessibility and affordability. The cost of the new long-acting injectable PrEP options, and the speed with which they are made available to potential users in the countries with the most need will be critical in expanding access to these life-saving technologies.
Persistent gaps remain in HIV prevention coverage (only 61% of areas with high incidence of HIV have programmes for young women, less than half of sex workers, and only about a third of gay men and other men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs regularly access prevention in GPC focus countries).

Condoms remain the most effective low-cost HIV prevention tool, however global condom procurement or distribution in low- and middle-income countries declined by an average of 27% between 2010 and 2022 and procurement by major donors fell by an average 32% in that period. Socially marketed distribution declined from a peak of about 3.5 billion condoms in 2011 to about 1.8 billion in 2022.

Condoms, PrEP, post exposure prophylaxis, antiretroviral therapy to ensure viral suppression thus preventing transmission of the virus, harm reduction and voluntary medical male circumcision are all HIV prevention options that should be real choices available for people at risk of HIV infection. Addressing structural and gender inequalities faced by these priority and key populations is essential in ensuring access to prevention services. The urgency to secure and sustain gains for HIV prevention cannot be overemphasized – programmes need to be community-led and country-led.

“No matter how good the science or community leadership, HIV will not end unless we have significant policy change to reverse criminalization and lessen stigmatization of affected populations. If we can’t protect human rights, then we can’t end HIV. This is never just about the virus—it’s about people, and the people must lead,” said GPC co-chair and Executive Director, AVAC, Mitchell Warren,

The report said an enormous unmet need for resources for HIV prevention and societal enabler programmes in almost all regions persists. An estimated US$ 2.4 billion was available for primary prevention programmes in low- and middle-income countries in 2023 compared to the estimated need of USD 9.5 billion in 2025. Investing in HIV prevention now is essential to scale up programmes, noting that if 1.3 million people continue to acquire HIV every year, the response will become more challenging, more complex and more costly in 2030 and 2050. Increased investments in HIV prevention, strengthened political leadership, enabling legal and policy environments are urgently needed to effectively implement programmes, insisting that the time to act is now.

Estimated 1.3 million People Infected with HIV in 2023

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We have the best Opthalmology department in the North East of Nigeria – Prof. Tahir

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We have the best Opthalmology department in the North East of NigeriaProf. Tahir

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Medical Director of the ultra modern Police Hospital Damaturu Prof Bashir Tahir has said that his facility has one of the best Ophthalmology departments in North East Nigeria.

He made this declaration while speaking with this reporter in Damaturu recently.

Professor Tahir stated that having met the facility in a near comatose state, he and his team have been able to create a department of Opthalmology plus six others and set it on a very high standard ready to serve the people in the catchment area.

Tahir who spoke through his Director of Administration Mallam Hamza Saleh stated that “Our Opthalmology dept is one of the best in the North East of Nigeria and you can get a recommended glasses within an hour because of the state of arts machines in that very department in the hospital.”

Speaking on the current expansion going on in the facility the MD stated that “We have ENT and consultants coming from the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital UMTH alternatively during the week to do routine consultations, ward rounds and even operations in the theatre.

“We recently spent about N10m to buy equipments in the ENT and we do hope that all the equipments will be available before the end of the year.

On the revitalization of the facility, he went on: “We actually met the three theatres in bad shape but we have been able to put them into functional use by restructuring them accordingly. For now all three are functioning including the O and G theatre where routine operations have been conducted.

“When we came on board also the hospital was not departmentalized. So we did that and opened the way for more doctors to come by creating these seven departments for them to work in an organized way.

“All the departments are functional with seven consultants who man these departments to the satisfaction of all the patients who visit the facility.

This new facility can also boast of two Eye Nose and Throat surgeons and others as the support staff to support the facility.

“We have about 100 nurses with one that is a police officer. We also have some of them with specialized techniques and that has contributed to the progress of the place.

On medical lab scientists, the MD posited that they now have six lab scientists in different areas, two pharmacists and a couple of technicians that assist them on the ground on a daily basis.

They have a solid Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with a pharmacy company in the supply of drugs which is used to stabilize the availability of drugs in the hospital.

On supply of drugs, he noted that they make sure that people served well and patient are the priority of anything that happens in the facility adding that they now have satellite pharmacies in the facility to ensure quality time is not wasted.

The MD said that it was part of their plan to get most of the major equipments before any fresh employment of any professional commences so that all hands will be on deck to ensure the best.

We have the best Opthalmology department in the North East of NigeriaProf. Tahir

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UMTH: Interventional Radiology Centre, a High-tech Medical Solution.

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Interventional radiology centre at UMTH

UMTH: Interventional Radiology Centre, a High-tech Medical Solution.

By: Balami Lazarus 

After the devastating flood of September 2024, UMTH counted so many losses that ran into billions of naira. Little did the public expect too soon that another gigantic medical center that is not found in other hospitals in Nigeria, but only in Maiduguri, situated and being at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital-Borno State.

The IR Centre, or Interventional Radiology Centre, in the words of the Director of the Centre, Dr. Mohammed Lawan, is a hospital within a hospital, describing the massive building equipped with the latest medical equipment as a center for carrying out radiology services, for training, and for research purposes. 

The Chief Medical Director, Professor Ahmed Ahidjo, Midas touch has produced and added medical value to nourish the healthcare delivery services through the new Interventional Radiology Center (IRC). “This center is another medical solution to interventional radiology treatments…. We are proud to have this as a medical facility”.

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What is interventional radiology? According to Dr. Mohammed Lawan, who spoke to NEWSng. Interventional Radiology It is a medical specialty that performs various minimally invasive procedures and techniques to treat many medical conditions that once required open surgery. The use of medical imaging guidance through sophisticated and high-tech medical equipment like x-ray fluoroscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, etc., are some major working medical gadgets to qualify interventional radiology. Therefore, the center is meant to offer specialized medical surgery/treatment and healthcare delivery services to patients at UMTH through interventional radiology surgery.

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In furtherance of NEWSng findings, a walk into the center opens up to so many clinics and equipment that draw attention. The center is an imposing building beautifully designed with offices equipped with furniture, medical equipment, and materials of high quality. Ultrasound, computed tomography, and other working tools are used to give it a full certification to be known, called, and addressed as the Interventional Radiology Center of standard offering international best practices.

Prof. Ahidjo told NEWSng that “we are the only ones that see the inside at all times when and where there are medical radiology cases. He further said that the center will also serve as a reference point for radiologists, consultants, doctors, and medical students. “The Interventional Radiology Center is meant to make a difference in providing quality healthcare services in medicine. IRC is my new baby”. e center has male and female wards with what it takes to have in a specialized sentence like IRC of UMTH. To make it easy for those with mobility challenges, the building is designed to ease their movement within the facility. The reception area and the patient’s waiting room, as well as the recovery room, are of worth according to standards obtainable in any medical center or hospital.

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When NEWng entered into the building, Dr. Mohammed Lawan was already attending to patients, and this afforded our special team to see things firsthand. This concludes that with the emergence of IRC, UMTH has finally revealed the true medical specialty of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo to so many people out there who see him like any other professor of medicine. The CMD and/or hospital administrator. “Prof. Ahidjo is a surgeon consultant and interventional radiologist, one of the best brains in this particular field of medicine, within and without,” said one radiologist.

UMTH: Interventional Radiology Centre, a High-tech Medical Solution.

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Why UMTH is Nigeria’s leading healthcare institution.

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Professor Ahmed Ahidjo

Why UMTH is Nigeria’s leading healthcare institution.

By: Dr. James Bwala

UMTH’s medical professionals and medical breakthroughs in Nigeria Medical institutions around the country should continue to prioritize infrastructure development. UMTH’s commitment to staff training and development was critical to its growth. The hospital invested heavily in ongoing professional development programs, ensuring that its medical staff were not only well-versed in the most recent information and skills used by the hospital, but also had the opportunity to show them. UMTH’s initiatives ensured that its healthcare professionals stayed at the cutting edge of medical advances and practices.

Professor Ahmed Ahidjo’s creative leadership has helped the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) become a renowned healthcare institution in Nigeria. Over the last 40 years, UMTH has experienced substantial modernization and expansion, transitioning from a single-building complex to a multi-institutional system. This expansion included the construction of important facilities such as a 150-bed trauma center and a 1,000-seat theater, which greatly improved the hospital’s ability to provide outstanding medical services. By deliberately extending its facilities, UMTH has established itself as a key healthcare provider not only in northeastern Nigeria but throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Furthermore, the hospital’s expansion reflects broader trends in Nigerian healthcare systems, which attempt to improve service delivery in the face of numerous problems. While many tertiary hospitals confront challenges such as insufficient medical equipment and staff training, UMTH’s proactive approach has enabled it to successfully manage these difficulties. As it continues to adapt and innovate in the healthcare industry, UMTH demonstrates how strategic planning may result in significant improvements in patient care.

Under Professor Ahmed Ahidjo’s guidance, UMTH developed its physical infrastructure while also investing in innovative medical technologies and thorough staff training programs to improve service delivery. This strategy not only increased the hospital’s operational efficiency, but it also drew a cadre of highly competent medical staff committed to sustaining high standards of care.

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These strategic developments, together with a dedication to excellence, have established UMTH as a leader in healthcare innovation and quality in the Northeast. Furthermore, the creation of specialist centers, including the 150-bed trauma center and renovated auxiliary facilities, has substantially improved UMTH’s ability to handle difficult medical cases, confirming its image as Nigeria’s preeminent healthcare institution. Furthermore, the hospital’s dedication to research and partnership with international medical institutes has created a culture of continual learning and innovation.

UMTH’s dedication to both patient care and academic quality has established a standard for other institutions in the region, maintaining its position as a healthcare leader. Under the innovative leadership of Professor Ahmed Ahidjo, UMTH has increased its facilities and services, most notably with the installation of a Child Institute, Cancer Centre, Burns Centre, a 150-bed trauma center, and a 1000-seat auditorium, amongst others, which have been important in improving its capacity to deliver.

Strategic connections with international institutions have not only fostered information exchange but also brought cutting-edge medical technology to the hospital’s doorstep. This technological breakthrough has not only increased diagnosis and treatment capacities but has also established UMTH as a top choice for medical education and research. Leveraging these improvements, UMTH has also prioritized healthcare professional training, ensuring that both current and new hires are skilled in using cutting-edge technology to offer excellent patient care.

The emphasis on continuing professional development has kept UMTH’s healthcare professionals at the forefront of medical developments, ensuring high levels of patient care and safety. Furthermore, the hospital’s concentration on research and development has resulted in ground-breaking studies that have greatly advanced medical knowledge, cementing its position as Nigeria’s preeminent healthcare facility.

This dedication to quality is also evident in the hospital’s patient satisfaction rates, which have regularly exceeded national averages, demonstrating the efficacy of its comprehensive approach to treatment. UMTH’s ability to provide great healthcare is enhanced by its strong infrastructure and an innovative culture that pervades all aspects of its operations.

Dr. James Bwala, PhD, writes from Abuja.

Why UMTH is Nigeria’s leading healthcare institution.

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