Self-testing best way to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV —Expert

Dr Godwin Emmanuel, Managing Partner/Impact Officer of MOZUK Future Solutions Limited, says self-testing is the best way to end Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Emmanuel made the disclosure in a statement made available to the newsmen on Friday in Makurdi.

The managing partner said that the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that Nigeria contributes about 22 per cent of global paediatric HIV cases.

He said each year, thousands of children were born with HIV, largely due to inadequate access to testing and treatment during pregnancy.

According to him, HIV self-testing kits offer a simple, private, and effective means of determining one’s status.

He explained that kits allow individuals to test themselves using a saliva sample or a small drop of blood, with results available in minutes.

Emmanuel added that the convenience and confidentiality of this method were particularly appealing to those who might avoid traditional testing due to stigma or fear of disclosure.

He stated that knowing one’s HIV status empowers women to take control of their health and make informed decisions about their pregnancies.

Emmanuel said eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria was an achievable goal but required innovative approaches that could address the unique barriers faced by women in underserved communities.

“This brings me to a recent study in Lagos and Kano that demonstrated how HIV self-testing kits offer a practical, effective, and scalable solution to our MTCT challenges.

“The study interrogates an initiative seeking to integrate HIV Self-Test (HIVST) kits into Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) services as part of a broader strategy to eliminate MTCT.

“The intervention targeted underserved communities where healthcare access is limited, leveraging the trust and accessibility of TBAs to distribute self-testing kits and provide essential counselling,” he said.

The managing partner further said that eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV was a critical goal for Nigeria as the country continued to bear a heavy burden of new paediatric HIV infections.