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Little access to cheap HIV/AIDS drugs

A Lagos-based NGO on Tuesday said despite HIV/AIDS drugs in Nigeria being among the cheapest in the world, many people still had problems accessing them. At present, a month's supply of antiretrovirals costs US $8.00 per person. Earlier this year, the government announced an additional 100 centres for the treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS. However, ActionHealth said the existing number of centres were not enough to treat Nigeria's HIV-positive. "The number of people without treatment by far outweighs those who are on antiretrovirals. People must travel long distances to access these drugs," co-founder of ActionHealth, Dr Uwem Esiat, told the UN news service PlusNews. UNAIDS estimates that 5.8 of the country's adults aged between 15 and 49 are HIV-positive.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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