The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) has announced a $100 million project to measure the reach and impact of HIV programs in Nigeria – the largest population-based HIV survey ever conducted in a single country.
The work is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in collaboration with the Government of Nigeria and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to conduct the Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS).
Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention at IHV, MHS and PhD, Man E. Charurat said, “We are pleased that the CDC and the Government of Nigeria entrusted us to lead this critical epidemiological study to better understand the state of Nigeria’s current HIV epidemic. We look forward to building upon IHV’s 16-year partnership with Nigeria to measure the impact of PEPFAR’s programs in Nigeria, and to pave the way towards more effective prevention and treatment.”
MD of The Homer & Martha Gudelsky, Robert C. Gallo said, “With this new grant, IHV has been awarded close to $1 billion total in PEPFAR funds, a milestone that coincides with PEPFAR’s 15-year anniversary. We commend President George W. Bush, who signed PEPFAR into law, on this historical global health initiative, which has uniquely put a real dent in the global HIV/AIDS crises. We are also grateful to U.S. leaders for their continued support of PEPFAR”
IHV will lead a consortium that includes ICF International, the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and the African Field Epidemiology Network, in collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministries of Health and the CDC.
The Institute will receive $30 million in the first year of the multi-year award. Gambo G. Aliyu, MBBS, MS, PhD, Project Director and Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at IHV, will lead the project on-the-ground in Nigeria.
