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Nigeria reported 75,000 new cases of HIV Infection

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Director-General, Dr. Temitope Ilori, reported that 45,000 HIV-related deaths and 75,000 new HIV infections were reported in 2023.

She said this during a two-day National Prevention Technical Working Group (NPTWG) meeting in Abuja that was hosted by NACA.

While there has been a slow decline in new HIV infections, she stated that in order to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030, the recommendations from the ongoing meeting and the 2024 Nigeria HIV Prevention Conference must be put into practice.

She stated that "it is disheartening to know that in 2023, we had as much as 75,000 new infections and 45,000 HIV-related deaths."This raises several red flags. Furthermore, we are aware that, even in terms of mother-to-child transmission, we are only at 35 to 40 percent compared to the aim of 75 percent. We are aware that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Thus, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, invited interested parties to talk about the state of the policies and tactics being used to stop the spread of HIV.

The National Coordinator of the National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP), Dr. Bashorun Adebobola, spoke on behalf of Pate, who stated: "We should strengthen our communication strategies in such a way that we can pass the right message."Although we have made great progress, there is still a chance that the virus could return, thus communication needs to be improved in order to meet our overall target of 2030."

The UNAIDS Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Leo Zekeng, stated that many nations, including Nigeria, are not on course to reach the 2025 prevention target.

He stated that "in spite of remarkable progress, prevention of new HIV infections is still a challenge, as many countries, including Nigeria are not on track to meeting the 2025 prevention target."As UNAIDS and the UN system, we are here to support and stand in solidarity with the government's efforts to address HIV prevention, and we are grateful for NACA's renewed and ongoing leadership on the issue. According to forecasts for 2023, 45,000 deaths and 75,000 new infections is a significant number.

Zekeng recommended that a quarterly performance framework be incorporated into the roadmap in order to facilitate accountability and progress tracking.

The Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) National Coordinator, Mr. Abdulkadir Ibrahim, emphasized the need of HIV therapy as the most effective preventive measure.

He stated that "once someone is living with HIV, he/she must adhere to medications, then definitely the chances of transmitting HIV to another person is zero."

In order to eradicate HIV as a threat to the public, Evans Emerson, Deputy Country Coordinator for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), emphasized the importance of including youths and other important populations.

Emerson reaffirmed American funding support for the implementation of creative techniques and strategies for HIV prevention and treatment in Nigeria.

The NACA director-general also released the 2024 HIV Prevention Conference Technical Report and Communique, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).