Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The Global Fund has given Nigeria additional 660 million dollars grant to fight HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

This was in addition to over two billion dollars that had been invested in Nigeria by the Fund for the same purpose.

The new investment, which has three years circle, was designed to provide more opportunities for patients diagnosed of the epidemics to get prompt and quality medical attention.

New Executive Director, Global Fund, Nigeria, Peter Sand, told journalists in Abuja, that Global Fund has invested more money in Nigeria than any other in the world because of its peculiar cases.

He said, “For instance, records show that Nigeria has largest malaria burden in the world. It also confirmed it has largest number of people infected with HIV/Aids in the world, in addition to being seventh in the list of people with TB.

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“The implication is that the world would not defeat HIV/Aids, TB or malaria, without measurable success in Nigeria. That was why Global Fund has consistently increased investment in Nigeria.”

Sand, thus, solicited the support of all stakeholders involved in the management of the Global Fund, promising to facilitate any course that would herald significant drop in case of the epidemics.

Meanwhile, the Director General, National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA), Dr. Sani Aliyu, was impressed with the fact that the number of epidemiological infections globally has dropped significantly.

“In Nigeria, the number of HIV cases has dropped from over 1000 cases daily to 600. We expect to get accurate data at the end of the ongoing nationwide HIV/Aids survey.

“But preliminary records have shown that transmission rate has declined substantially.”

He thanked the Global Fund for the new investment and assured them that its partners would meet the set targets in terms of testing, treatment mosquito nets being delivered and used, as well as others indices.