Posted by Dr. Makusidi Muhammad, the commissioner for health in Niger State, has disclosed that the state currently has 36,797 HIV-positive residents.
The commissioner made this statement during a news conference to commemorate World AIDS Day in Minna this year, which had the topic “Equalize to End AIDS: Equal Access to Treatment and Prevention Services.” Dr. Baba Uthman, Director of Medical Services and Training, delivered the statement.
In the state, 2,628 people tested HIV positive between January and September of this year, he said.
Muhammad stated: “According to HIV/AIDS data for the year under review, a total of 89,359 clients got counseling, testing, and results between January 1 and September 30, 2022. 2,628 of these customers had positive tests results.
“At present, the total number of HIV-positive individuals undergoing treatment, including the key population, stands at 36,797,” the commissioner stated. “Of the 43,083 pregnant women who went for antenatal care, we counseled, tested, and received results, of which 63 were positive.”
The total number of newborns who underwent a first virologic HIV test for early baby diagnosis stands at 330, out of which just 2 (0.6%) were discovered to be HIV positive, he continued.
The commissioner said, “The HIV positive infants are those whose moms did not receive antenatal services.”
In his remarks, Adamu Baba, the director general of the Niger State Agency for Control of AIDS (NGSACA), highlighted that although the government's goal is to reduce the prevalence rate to zero percent by 2030, the state's current rate is only 0.7%.