The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Temitope Ilori, has announced that 1.6 million out of the two million Nigerians living with HIV are currently receiving treatment.
Dr. Temitope Ilori, shared this update during a press conference in Abuja on Monday, ahead of the 2024 World AIDS Day. The theme for this year is “Take the Right Path: Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV Among Children, and End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030.”
“Nigeria has an HIV prevalence rate of 1.4 percent among the general population aged 15 to 64 years. While 1.6 million people are on treatment, we still face challenges in preventing mother-to-child transmission,” Dr. Temitope Ilori stated.
She highlighted that about 160,000 children in Nigeria are living with HIV, with 22,000 new infections and 15,000 AIDS-related deaths occurring each year. Despite progress, prevention and treatment coverage for children remain below 33 percent, far from the global target of 95 percent.
Dr. Temitope Ilori noted that NACA has developed a Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in Children, but the coverage has fallen short. She said, “The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has established a national committee to accelerate implementation. I have also engaged state governors to set up and resource similar committees to ensure no child is born HIV positive in Nigeria.”
She added that NACA is working with stakeholders to develop a sustainability roadmap to maintain the HIV response even if donor support decreases.
“On this World AIDS Day, I call on all Nigerians to join hands with NACA to break the stigma, embrace equity, and stop HIV among children,” Dr. Ilori urged. “We must empower individuals, especially women and vulnerable populations, to access life-saving services and live with dignity. Together, we can achieve an AIDS-free Nigeria by 2030.”
The Country Director of UNAIDS, Leo Zekeng, also stressed the importance of sustainability in the fight against AIDS. “Sustainability means renewed political commitment and more domestic resources. Efforts are ongoing to secure more government and private sector funding for the AIDS response,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Virology Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Dakum, called for innovative approaches and sustained investments. He stated, “Through programs like the Nigeria TB-HIV Reach Integration and Impact Project, we address social determinants of health and expand community outreach to tackle inequalities.”
PEPFAR Nigeria Country Coordinator, Funmi Adesanya, emphasized the need for partnerships to strengthen HIV prevention efforts. “Government, civil society, donors, and the private sector must align resources to achieve the shared goal of ending AIDS by 2030,” she concluded.
World AIDS Day is observed globally on December 1 to raise awareness about HIV and honour lives affected by the epidemic.
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