The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that Nigeria has made measurable progress in controlling the spread of HIV, with the country surpassing a key global target for viral load suppression among patients on treatment.
Dr. Dennis Onotu, Branch Chief for Continuum of Care and Treatment at the U.S. CDC in Nigeria, disclosed the figures during an interview in Abuja. According to national data repository statistics, 96 percent of the 1.5 million people on antiretroviral therapy who received a viral load test in the preceding 12 months achieved viral suppression. The result exceeds the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target, which calls for 95 percent of people on treatment to be virally suppressed.
“That is above the UNAIDS target of 95 percent. But that is programme-related suppression,” Onotu said. He explained that the broader 95-95-95 framework also requires 95 percent of people living with HIV to know their status, and 95 percent of those diagnosed to be on sustained treatment.
With suppression rates among those in care already above target, Onotu said the next phase of the response must focus on finding the undiagnosed and ensuring no one is left behind. He urged the federal government to investigate the remaining four percent of patients on treatment who are not suppressed, to determine the causes — whether adherence gaps, drug resistance, or other barriers.
“If people don’t know their HIV status, of course, they will not be on treatment and will not be suppressed,” Onotu said. He warned that failure to achieve viral suppression poses serious risks to both individuals and public Health. Without suppression, the virus continues to replicate, damaging the immune system and leaving patients vulnerable to opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis and fungal diseases. It also raises the risk of drug resistance, where the virus mutates to withstand medication.
Beyond individual health, unsuppressed viral loads increase the likelihood of transmission through unprotected sex, blood exposure, and mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
Onotu emphasized that viral load suppression confirms treatment is working and the virus is under control. Sustained investment in testing, treatment adherence support, and regular viral load monitoring will be critical to maintaining gains and closing the remaining gaps in Nigeria’s HIV response.
