The Lagos State Government has urged residents not to panic over media reports claiming the state recorded the highest number of new HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025, insisting that the widely circulated figures have been misinterpreted.
Speaking at a press conference in Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Folakemi Animashaun, clarified that the figure of 10,430 attributed to Lagos does not represent new HIV infections recorded in 2025 but rather newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases.
According to her, the figure, which has been widely reported from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025, refers to people who tested positive during the reporting period, many of whom may have contracted the virus years earlier or travelled to Lagos for testing and treatment.
Animashaun said the available programme data does not support panic but rather underscores the strength of Lagos State’s surveillance system, expanded access to HIV services, and sustained progress towards epidemic control.
She explained that newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases are different from new HIV infections, which are estimated using epidemiological surveillance and scientific modelling. Misinterpreting the two indicators, she warned, could fuel unnecessary fear, stigma and discrimination while discouraging people from seeking HIV testing.
Animashaun added that the state government is engaging relevant stakeholders to better understand the methodology and reporting assumptions behind the published figures to ensure accurate public communication.
She noted that Lagos, as Nigeria’s commercial hub and largest healthcare referral centre, naturally records high volumes of HIV testing, diagnosis and patient referrals, making higher case detection expected rather than evidence of a worsening epidemic.
Presenting the state’s programme data, the LSACA boss said Lagos conducted 504,800 HIV tests in 2025, identifying 11,940 HIV-positive cases, representing a positivity rate of 2.4 per cent. In the first quarter of 2026, the state carried out 179,229 tests, identifying 3,390 positive cases, while the positivity rate dropped further to 1.9 per cent.
She described the declining positivity rate despite increased testing as a key epidemiological indicator showing improved epidemic control.
Animashaun also disclosed that 147,904 people were receiving antiretroviral therapy in Lagos as of 2025, with 97 per cent achieving viral suppression. She added that the state’s prevention of mother-to-child transmission programme has also recorded significant gains, with the Early Infant Diagnosis positivity rate falling from 5.1 per cent in 2020 to 1.5 per cent in 2025.
She said the state has begun implementing a three-month HIV Response Acceleration Plan covering July to September 2026 to expand testing, strengthen treatment services, improve data quality and scale up prevention interventions across all local government areas.
The plan also includes expanding access to oral and long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), strengthening domestic financing and improving health system resilience.
In a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted treatment, Animashaun announced that Lagos has independently procured antiretroviral medicines, becoming the first sub-national government in Nigeria to do so.
She said the first consignment of the state-funded drugs is expected to arrive before the end of August 2026, describing the initiative as a major step towards reducing dependence on donor support and guaranteeing long-term HIV commodity security.
Animashaun said the state is also exploring local production of HIV medicines through partnerships and by drawing lessons from Kenya’s pharmaceutical sector.
Reiterating the government’s message, she said HIV remains both preventable and manageable with early diagnosis and sustained treatment.
“To every resident of Lagos, our message is simple. There is no cause for panic. Know your HIV status, access available prevention, testing, treatment, and care services, rely only on verified public health information, and reject every form of stigma and discrimination,” she said.
(The Whistler)