Nigeria

Site Established: 2005
HIV Prevalence: 5% (4-8 million infected)

Research Efforts:

Research activities currently are being developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Armed Forces and other U.S. government programs based in Nigeria. A comprehensive vaccine development program is being planned.

Facilities:

The Program is establishing a Center of Excellence for laboratory services at the tri-service facility in Abuja, which will support all military health efforts. Four Nigerian military treatment facilities initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) in October of 2005 and received pharmacy and logistics training for managing and tracking ART.

Services:

Twenty-one Nigerian military health care providers at these facilities received formal training in ART delivery. Staff members at these facilities also have received training in the following:

Voluntary counseling and testing,
Basic clinical care, and
Pharmacy and laboratory procedures.
Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission training for nurses and other health care providers is planned for next quarter in order to expand this service and improve the quality of the current intervention.

Prevention, Care and Treatment:

Program initiated in 2005
First patients on ART as of October 2005
Goal: 350,000 patients on treatment by Fiscal Year 2008
Working in 9 communities, including 4 military bases
- Target population is 2.2M
  - 80,000 Nigerian active duty
  - 750,000 military beneficiaries
  - 1,370,000 civilians
Central to this mission is partnering with the Nigerian Armed Forces to provide ART in the context of a comprehensive HIV effort. A large part of this program includes the development of clinical capacity, which the Nigerian military hopes to build upon in the future to support research needs addressing military-specific surveillance and clinical services.
Focus is on prevention programs targeting pre- and post- deployment of soldiers supporting UN peacekeeping missions. Broad-based behavioral interventions focusing on dependents and communities around military posts have been incorporated as part of a larger national effort.
For more information on Nigerian PEPFAR activities please visit http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/pepfar.html

Staff:

This component of USMHRP is known in Nigeria as the Department of Defense HIV Program-Nigeria. The Program is headed by a physician in the U.S. Public Health Services and five additional staff. The team works closely with the U.S. Embassy.

USMHRP International Network:
Nigeria | Kenya | Tanzania | Uganda | Thailand