1.6 million Nigerians with HIV on Treatment – NACA

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) said on Monday that about 1.6 million People Living With HIV (PLWHIV) are currently receiving treatment. There are estimated two million people living with the virus in Nigeria.

The Director-General of NACA, Temitope Ilori, said this at a press conference in Abuja ahead of the 2024 World AIDS Day (WAD).

Ms Ilori, a doctor, said Nigeria has an HIV prevalence of 1.4 per cent among adults age 15 to 64 years, with an estimated two million people living with the virus.

“About 1.6 million of them are presently on treatment as we speak,” she said.

She noted that the 2024 WAD will place special emphasis on stopping AIDS among children as well as raising consciousness on sustainability, and ownership of the HIV response.

World AIDS Day

WAD is commemorated on 1 December every year to honour the people who have fallen to the disease as well as PLWHIV. It is also a day to raise awareness about the disease and the need for people to know their status.

The global theme of the 2024 WAD is ‘Take the right path: My health, my right!’.

Under the broad theme, Nigeria will mark the day with the theme, ‘Take the Right Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV Among Children to End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030.’

“On this World AIDS Day, I call on all Nigerians to join hands with NACA to break the stigma, embrace equity, drive collective action and stop HIV among our children,” she said.

Ms Ilori said it is important to empower every individual, especially women who are most vulnerable to contracting HIV, and other vulnerable populations, to access life-saving services, and live with dignity.

Mother to Child Transmission

Ms Ilori explained that the country continues to face significant challenges in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.

Quoting UNAIDS 2023 report, she said approximately 160,000 children aged 0-14 are living with HIV, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurring each year.

“Despite significant progress in the country, our PMTCT, and paediatric HIV coverage remains below 33 per cent, well below the 95 per cent target,” she said.

She noted that following comprehensive data analysis in 2021, the AIDS agency joined the international initiative and developed the Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in children.

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Ms Ilori said although the plan is fully resourced, coverage continues to fall short.

“To address this, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate recently established a national-level acceleration committee to track implementation, and I paid advocacy visits, and inaugurated state committees in three states, engaging directly with three governors to support the launch and resourcing of a similar committee at the state level, ensuring that no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria,” she said.

She added that the NACA team has been engaging with all stakeholders in co-creating a sustainability roadmap that intends to sustain existing gains within the HIV response, and put government-mandated structures at the centre of programme implementation in the states.

She said the roadmap, among other things, will ensure that in the event of donor support withdrawal, the country is secured health-wise, and socially as regards HIV, and associated diseases.

Renewed commitment

In his remark, UNAIDS Country Director, Leo Zekeng, stressed the need for political commitment and increased domestic funding for HIV programmes.

Mr Zekeng said sustainability also means more domestic resources.

Also speaking at the event, the CEO of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), Patrick Dakum urged stakeholders to recommit to collaborative action, sustained investment, and innovative approaches to address the challenges ahead.

Mr Dakum, who was represented by the Project Director, IHVN Global Fund N-THRIP, Olayemi Olupitan, said the institute has demonstrated excellence in combating HIV and TB through a holistic approach that bridges national and community-level interventions.

“Through our programmes, including the Nigeria TB-HIV Reach Integration and Impact Project, we work closely with partners including NACA to integrate HIV and TB services, expand community outreach, and address the social determinants of health that perpetuate inequalities,” he said.

He said the institute has consistently focused on delivering patient-centred solutions, strengthening health systems, and reducing stigma and discrimination in communities.

Prevention efforts

In her remarks, the PEPFAR Nigeria Country Coordinator, Funmi Adesanya, highlighted the need to scale up evidence-based prevention strategies, such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and harm reduction services, especially for marginalised groups.

Ms Adesanya, who was represented by the Deputy Country Coordinator, Emerson Evans, also called for the need to invest in resilient, and inclusive healthcare systems that ensure uninterrupted access to antiretroviral therapy, even in the face of crisis.

“It is important to tackle stigma, discrimination, and structural inequalities that hinder access to care, particularly for marginalised groups,” she said.

She, however, added that none of the actions can be made possible without partnership, noting that government agencies, civil society organisations, donors, and private sector partners must align for resource mobilisation, and contribute to the shared goal of ending AIDS by 2030.