Over 4m Nigerians (and 500,000 Lagosians) Are H I V Positive

At least 500,000 Lagosians have the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, that is, they are HIV positive, current statistics from the Lagos State Government has confirmed. The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed at the commemoration of the World AIDS Day last weekend, that out of the figure, 100,000 children were carrying the virus.

According to him, the figure represents 3.3 per cent of the population, which is lower than the South-West zonal average.

The commissioner added that four million Nigerians are currently living with the dreaded disease, with more than one million children infected, and a national prevalence of 4.4 per cent.

Idris stated that the United Nations AIDS Agency (UNAIDS) estimated that 39.6 million people worldwide are living with HIV, including 2.3 million children.

He said in 2006 alone, 4.3 million people were infected with the virus.

The commissioner stated that the World AIDS campaign slogan which is Stop AIDS: Keep The Promise, appeals to governments, policymakers and regional health authorities, to ensure that they meet the many targets that had been set in the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially the promise of universal access to HIV treatment, care, support and prevention services by 2010.

“This campaign will run until 2010 with a related theme chosen for the commemoration of World AIDS Day each year.

“The theme for this 20th World AIDS Day commemoration, Leadership, highlights the need for innovation, vision and perseverance in the face of the AIDS challenge.

“This year’s campaign calls on sectors of the society such as families, communities and civil society organisations, rather than governments, to take the initiative and provide leadership on AIDS,” he said.

Idris stated that HIV prevention messages is being disseminated in all regions of Lagos State, both urban and rural.

He said findings of the 2005 National HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health survey revealed that more than 97 per cent of adults aged 15-64 had heard of HIV, while more than 94 per cent of them had basic knowledge of its prevention.

Idris noted that tuberculosis has been recognised as the major killer disease in HIV positive patients, adding that in some centres in the state, adequate management of the dually infected patients was provided without having to visit separate facilities to get treatment.

“More than 90 per cent of paediatric HIV is due to vertical transmission from the parents. In order to reduce this burden and protect the future generation, prevention of mother to child transmission of the HIV virus is now provided during the antenatal care for pregnant women attending our facilities,” he stated.