The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Temitope Ilori, has said approximately 1.6 million out of the two million people living with HIV in Nigeria are currently receiving treatment.

Ilori made this disclosure at a press conference in Abuja ahead of the 2024 World AIDS Day. The theme of this year’s commemoration is; “Take the right path: Sustain HIV response; stop HIV among children to end AIDS in Nigeria by 2030.” Ilori said the theme aims to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, honour the lives affected by the epidemic and focus on stopping AIDS among children.

According to Ilori, Nigeria has an HIV prevalence of 1.4 per cent among the general population, with approximately 160,000 children aged 0-14 living with HIV. “In spite of the progress made, the country faces significant challenges in preventing mother-tochild transmission of HIV (PMTCT), with coverage remaining below 33 per cent.

“To address these challenges, NACA has developed the Global Alliance Action Plan to End AIDS in children and established a national-level acceleration committee to track implementation. “The agency has also engaged stakeholders to co-create a sustainability roadmap, ensuring that gains in the HIV response are sustained and government-mandated structures are in place.