Children’s Day 2025: NACA Calls for Urgent Action to End Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

As Nigeria commemorates Children’s Day in 2025, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has renewed calls for strengthened efforts to end the transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. Despite notable progress in prevention and treatment, the country still records thousands of paediatric HIV cases annually—an outcome considered avoidable with the right interventions.

NACA emphasized that the early identification and consistent treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women remain essential in curbing new infections in newborns. However, challenges such as stigma, poor access to healthcare, and lack of awareness continue to hinder progress. These barriers often discourage women from seeking timely medical help, contributing to avoidable transmissions during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

The agency highlighted the need for a collective push involving healthcare institutions, local communities, and families to create a more supportive environment for expectant mothers. This includes improving access to services and ensuring that those who test positive receive uninterrupted care throughout their maternal journey.

In alignment with this goal, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is spearheading a national campaign focused on reducing HIV among women of reproductive age and ensuring that no child is born with the virus. Her initiative comes in response to data showing Nigeria’s high HIV burden, with a significant number of children and adults living with the virus and many newborns not being tested early enough due to gaps in knowledge and healthcare coverage.

Children’s Day has thus become a reminder of the urgent need to close these gaps. It serves as a call to action for all sectors to work together to protect the health and rights of every Nigerian child, particularly the right to be born and grow up free of HIV.