HIV: Airtel links UNAIDS to tackle mother-to-child transmission

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, have partnered to support the National Agency for the Control of AIDS in an initiative to ensure that no child is born with HIV in Nigeria.

The UNAIDS and Airtel partnership sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding will allow the Telco's subscribers to benefit from information on how and where to access prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services in Nigeria. The information shall be disseminated through innovative and regular text messages.

In July 2011, a global plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive was launched at the United Nations General Assembly meeting on AIDS. On its part, Nigeria unveiled a National Operational Plan in 2014 focused on eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and accelerating the implementation of similar efforts in the country.