Abuja, Apr 13 (IANS): About 70,000 newborns in Nigeria are HIV positive, a top government official of the west African nation has revealed.

Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) John Idoko disclosed this in Nigeria's southwestern state of Ogun Thursday.

The official also said that HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria were prevalent among Nigerian pregnant women.

He stressed that NACA, the agency set up for curbing AIDS in the country, was ready to partner with the Ogun State government on preventive policy.

Idoko called for the improvement of the State Action Committee on AIDS (SACA) to be able to fight the spread of the scourge.

According to the official, the agency was willing to collaborate with any agency to improve the health status of the Nigerian people.

Idoko urged all levels of government to assist NACA in strengthening the fight against HIV/AIDS and other related diseases, saying that the agency would work hard to eliminate mother-to-child transmission.