From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) disclosed, yesterday, that between July 2019 and December 2020, number of persons on treatment of HIV/AIDS rose from 1,062,019 to 1,354, 314 representing an increase of 410,169.
This was contained in a report titled: ‘Stewardship of the HIV Response in Nigeria 2007-2021’ published by NACA in commemoration of its 14th anniversary.
The report stated that when NACA was established in 2007, only 124, 567 Nigerians were on treatment, but that has significantly increased due to several interventions from local and global platforms.
Director General of NACA, Dr. Gambo Aliyu, who spoke at the event said one of the biggest achievements of the agency was the success of the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) which was the largest in the world.
He admitted that outcome of the survey was able to provide more accurate data on persons living with HIV as well as other vital information that is relevant in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Country Director, UNAIDS, Erasmus Morah, confirmed that Nigeria was on the path to meeting the 90-90-90 target set by the UN and warned against complacency which could erode the success achieved so far.
He explained that the 90-90-90 initiative seeks to ensure that 90 per cent of all people living with HIV know their status, 90 per cent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy experience viral suppression.
