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The Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), Dr. Mary Boyd, has expressed optimism that Nigeria would end HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
She said this at the end of the 4th biannual stakeholder engagement meeting of the U.S. CDC in Abuja with the theme: “Improving Public Health Programs Through Science.”
The two-day meeting is part of the U.S. CDC’s commitment to regularly review and adapt programming to meet the needs of the HIV response in Nigeria.
According to Boyd, the scientific work being done in Nigeria through various implementing partners would reach “zero-dose children, and strengthen Nigeria’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats.”
She said the discussions, which focused on improving health outcomes and achieving HIV epidemic control at the sub-national level, resulted in the enthusiasm about Nigeria’s efforts towards achieving success in disease control.
The U.S CDC Director also thanked participants and stakeholders for their willingness to “ask questions and follow the science.”
The event also featured the honouring of select presenters and projects for their scientific contributions, which was carried out by Dr. Salma Anas, the Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Health.
The meeting also provided state-HIV programmes and partners a platform to share their scientific work, where speakers highlighted the vital role which state ministries of health play in achieving sustainable outbreak responses, immunization systems, and HIV programs.
The presentations and panels focused on strengthening collaborations for effective public health programmes, with a total of 35 posters and 9 oral abstracts presented, highlighting the importance of evidence-based program design and implementation.
The next stakeholder engagement meeting of the U.S. CDC will be held later in October.
