End HIV/AIDS – The Trumpet Newspaper Nigeria

Nigeria can achieve the global target of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 if governments strengthen health systems, increase domestic funding and expand people-centred HIV services, an expert from the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has said.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Tolulope Adenekan, Operations Officer at the INFORM Africa Research Hub of IHVN, said Nigeria has made significant progress toward the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 targets.

According to her, about 87 percent of people living with HIV in Nigeria know their status, 98 percent of those diagnosed are receiving antiretroviral treatment, while 95 percent of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression.

Despite these gains, Adenekan identified several factors that continue to hinder treatment adherence, including stigma and discrimination, fear of disclosing HIV status, poverty, transportation costs, inadequate counselling, long waiting hours at health facilities, mental health challenges and displacement caused by insecurity.

She noted that adolescents and young people remain among the most vulnerable groups because they often struggle to accept their diagnosis while dealing with emotional, social and physical changes.

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According to her, treatment fatigue, fear of peers discovering their HIV status, poor transition from paediatric to adult HIV care, school commitments, financial hardship and limited family support frequently affect adherence among young patients.

To address these challenges, she advocated the expansion of adolescent-friendly clinics and peer-support programmes such as Operation Triple Zero (OTZ), describing them as effective interventions that have improved treatment adherence among young people.

Adenekan also urged governments to strengthen primary healthcare by decentralising HIV services, improving referral systems and ensuring uninterrupted access to essential medicines.

She further recommended integrating HIV services into routine healthcare and increasing the involvement of community health workers to bring services closer to communities.

On combating HIV-related stigma, she stressed that governments, schools, families, communities and the media all have critical roles to play in addressing misconceptions and discrimination.

She called for greater investment in public health education and the enforcement of laws that protect the rights of people living with HIV.

The HIV implementation scientist also highlighted the growing importance of digital health technologies, noting that mobile reminders, telemedicine and peer-support platforms have helped improve clinic attendance and medication adherence when used alongside conventional care.

She said Nigeria’s HIV response offers valuable lessons for other African countries, citing successful initiatives such as expanded HIV testing, prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes, differentiated service delivery, community-based treatment, mentor nothers, pharmacy-based antiretroviral dispensing and peer treatment champions.

According to her, these interventions have improved access to care while strengthening treatment adherence and enhancing programme implementation through better data collection and monitoring systems.

However, Adenekan warned that declining international donor support makes it imperative for African governments to increase domestic funding for HIV programmes.

She called for greater investment in healthcare workers, stronger supply chains, expanded viral load monitoring and youth-friendly services.

She expressed confidence that ending AIDS by 2030 remains achievable if governments accelerate proven interventions, reduce stigma, expand innovative service delivery models and prioritise populations facing barriers to healthcare.

Adenekan also cautioned against the misconception that HIV is no longer a serious public health issue because effective treatment exists, emphasising that early diagnosis, consistent treatment and viral suppression enable people living with HIV to live long, healthy and productive lives.

According to UNAIDS, an estimated 41 million people were living with HIV globally in 2025, with 32.1 million receiving antiretroviral therapy, compared to 7.6 million in 2010.

The UNAIDS 2026 Global AIDS Brief identifies stigma, discrimination, gender inequality and weak health systems among the biggest obstacles to ending the HIV epidemic.