Daud Olatunji
Health experts have declared that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is no longer a death sentence, attributing the dramatic shift in outcome to advances in science, expanded access to treatment, and sustained public health interventions across Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Prof. Prosper Okonkwo, made the assertion on Friday in Abuja during activities marking the organisation’s 25th anniversary, which also served as a review of Nigeria’s HIV response over the past two decades.
Okonkwo said the country had moved from an era of widespread fatalities and uncertainty in the early 2000s to one where HIV is now managed as a chronic but controllable condition.
“In the year 2000, a person living with HIV in Nigeria was, in most cases, living with a death sentence. There were no widely available antiretroviral drugs. There was no pathway to an undetectable viral load,” he said.
He added that stigma and fear defined the early response, noting that many infected persons concealed their status due to social rejection and lack of treatment options.
“People were dying. Families were being destroyed. The silence was deafening. Today, HIV is no longer a death sentence,” he said.
According to him, modern treatment now enables people living with HIV to achieve viral suppression, live healthy lives, and prevent transmission to uninfected partners and unborn children.
“Today, a person living with HIV can achieve full viral suppression and live a productive life. They can marry, have children born free of the virus, and contribute meaningfully to society,” he added.
Okonkwo stressed that the progress recorded was not accidental but the result of sustained investment by government, development partners, and implementing organisations over the years.
“We did not arrive here by accident. It has taken decades of science, advocacy, investment, and programme delivery,” he said.
Speaking on service delivery, APIN officials said the organisation currently supports over 1.6 million Nigerians on antiretroviral therapy, including about 314,804 patients under its direct care.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Programmes), Dr. Jay Samuels, noted that treatment outcomes had improved significantly, with 96 per cent of patients on antiretroviral therapy achieving viral suppression.
He described the development as evidence that Nigeria’s HIV response is “largely under control,” despite emerging funding constraints.
Also speaking, APIN’s Director of Strategic Information, Uche Okezie, acknowledged challenges linked to global funding cuts but assured that interventions by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS were helping to stabilise the system.
“Yes, there is a challenge with funding cuts globally. But over 1.6 million persons are currently on treatment. We are making tremendous progress,” he said.
In a separate presentation, Dr. Mikhail Obaje disclosed that between Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau and Benue States, 83,289 pregnant women and children tested positive for HIV and were immediately placed on treatment.
He said 2,998,805 pregnant women were tested within the reporting period, out of which 60,704 were confirmed positive and enrolled for antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
Obaje added that 2.51 million children and adolescents had been tested since 2016, leading to the identification and treatment of 22,585 HIV-positive children.
He further noted that APIN’s laboratory and programme footprint currently spans five focal states but extends support across 30 states nationwide.
