The National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr Gambo Aliyu has disclosed that despite the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, 350,000 were confirmed to be living with HIV.
Aliyu said the 350,000 patients were discovered during the HIV screening of about 8.2 million Nigerians.
Previously, just over one million persons are screened annually for HIV in the country out of which between 50,000 and 60,000 persons that test positive are put on treatment.
According to the NACA boss, the development represents the greatest yield ever by Nigeria or any country in identifying people living with HIV and putting them on treatment.
Aliyu noted that Nigeria is closer to controlling HIV earlier than expected.
“Last year, we were able to test 8.2 million persons despite COVID-19 out of which we were able to get 350,000 people with HIV and put them on treatment.
“This has never been done in the world before in any country in the history of HIV programming and because of that feat, Nigeria is closer to controlling HIV earlier than expected,” he said.
The D-G explained that Nigeria is expected to control HIV by 2025 and end it by 2030.
“At the rate at which we are going, we are sure that we will control HIV by 2022 and end it by 2025.
“It was achieved through a collaborative effort with development partners putting resources and funds together to address HIV in all the nooks and crannies of the country.
“We were out in the communities and in the facilities approaching people that were living with HIV and also those at risk of acquiring HIV, and convincing them to know about their HIV status and they responded.
“We made an appeal and Nigerians responded and Nigeria had the greatest yield of people that were positive for HIV and were put on treatment.”
Bemoaning the challenge of HIV control, prevention and elimination in Nigeria, Aliyu said it was important to focus on the youths. “For the last 20 years, stigma and discrimination have stood between us and the effort of identifying 1.8 million people living with HIV.
