The Federal Government has mandated the National Institute for Medical Research and the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, to do proper study of the two claims to HIV cure in Nigeria.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, disclosed this on Monday at the Federal Government Town Hall meeting for the North Central Zone held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
A Nigeria university don, Prof. Maduike Ezeibe, recently claimed to have found a cure for the virus.
The minister, who was responding to questions on the position of government to the claims, said getting a cure would be of public health interest.
He said Nigeria has about three million people infected with HIV, the second highest number in the world after South Africa.
The minister, however, said there were modalities recognised globally for disclosure of cure which must be followed.
“What we need to do is to make sure that things are done properly,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the minister as saying at the meeting.
“The process to undertake is the animal experiment to be sure it is efficacious and safe before moving to human.
“At the appointed time when we have the results, we shall come public.”