HIV survey in Nigeria – young women are most affected

In Nigeria, young women aged 20 to 24 are three times more likely to live with HIV than men of the same age. In this group, HIV prevalence was 1.3%, compared to 0.4% for men, according to the Nigeria HIV / AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), one of the largest household HIV / AIDS surveys ever conducted.

The survey also found that in most age groups, women were less successful than men. It is estimated that 1.9% of women were living with HIV compared to 1.1% of men, with the highest prevalence among women aged 35 to 39 and men aged 50 to 54, 3.3% and 2.3% respectively.

New data indicate that prevalence among children under 15 is 0.2%, thanks to the success of mother-to-child transmission prevention (PMTCT) programs. Isaac F. Adewole, Nigeria's Minister of Health, said: "Anyone infected with HIV should receive treatment to be able to suppress the virus, especially pregnant women. We need to ensure that pregnant women have access to prenatal services and that they are tested at every pregnancy. We know that we can support HIV-positive mothers, ensuring that the next generation is not infected with HIV. "

Antiretroviral treatment programs have reached three times more people between 2010 and 2017, from 360,000 people in 2010 to more than one million in 2018. But less than half of people living with HIV in Nigeria have been virally repressed, an important marker of HIV the effectiveness of treatment and to eliminate the transmission of HIV. Global targets predict viral suppression of 90% of people living with HIV and treatments by 2020, but viral suppression among people living with HIV aged 15-49 is 42.3% ( 45.3% among women and 34.5% among men).

"It is important that all people living with HIV receive treatment and achieve viral suppression. To halt the epidemic, we must act now, "said Sani Aliyu, director general of the National Agency to Fight AIDS. "As a government working with our partners, we have what we need to help people with HIV, to provide treatment, to protect their families and to help people live long and healthy lives.

Compared to previous estimates, the national prevalence fell from 2.8% to 1.4%, which was attributed to better surveillance.

"For the first time in Nigeria, we have reliable data on where HIV is concentrated. viral suppression in people living with HIV; gaps in the HIV response by geography, gender and age; and what HIV policies and targeted resources are needed, "said Ambbadador Deborah L. Birx, MD, Global AIDS Coordinator in the United States. The survey was conducted with funding from PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.