Dr. Temitope Ilori, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), announced that 75,000 new HIV infections and 45,000 HIV-related deaths were recorded in Nigeria in 2023. This information was disclosed during a two-day National Prevention Technical Working Group (NPTWG) meeting organized by NACA in Abuja on Wednesday.
Despite a gradual reduction in new HIV infections, Dr. Ilori stressed the need to implement recommendations from the 2024 Nigeria HIV Prevention Conference and ongoing meetings to achieve the goal of eradicating HIV/AIDS by 2030.
“It is disheartening to know that in 2023, we had as much as 75,000 new infections and 45,000 HIV-related deaths. This is a cause for concern. And we also know that even in our Mother-To-Child Transmission, we are just about 35 to 40 per cent as against the 75 per cent target. So, we know we have a lot of work to do,” she said.
Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, represented by Dr. Bashorun Adebobola, the National Coordinator of the National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP), emphasized the need for stakeholders to discuss progress on actions and strategies taken toward preventing HIV transmission.
“We should strengthen our communication strategies in such a way that we can pass the right message. Even though we have made impressive gains, it does not mean that we are still not at risk or threat of a rebound of the infection and this is where communication needs to be strengthened so that we can achieve that overall goal before 2030,” Pate said.
Dr. Leo Zekeng, UNAIDS Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, highlighted the challenge of preventing new HIV infections, noting that many countries, including Nigeria, are not on track to meet the 2025 prevention target.
“Despite 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. We are here as UNAIDS and UN system in support and solidarity with the government’s efforts to address HIV prevention and appreciate the renewed and continued leadership of NACA on HIV prevention. From the 2023 estimates, 45,000 deaths and 75,000 new infections is huge. We still have a lot to do,” Zekeng said.
He suggested that the roadmap to be developed should include a quarterly performance framework for accountability and progress monitoring.
Mr. Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the National Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), emphasized the importance of HIV treatment as the best option for prevention.
“Once someone is living with HIV, he/she must adhere to medications, then definitely the chances of transmitting HIV to another person is zero,” he said.
Evans Emerson, Deputy Country Coordinator of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), stressed the importance of including youths, key populations, and others in efforts to eliminate HIV as a public health threat.
