HIV/AIDS Shifts to Endemic Status in Nigeria, Declares FG

The National Coordinator of the National HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STI Control Programme, Adebobola Bashorun, stated on Tuesday that HIV/AIDS has transitioned to an endemic stage in Nigeria.

Bashorun attributed this shift to the successful containment of the disease’s spread and the reduction of stigmatisation against those testing positive.

During a press briefing in Abuja, Bashorun emphasised the role of available treatment, noting a decline in the disease’s prevalence due to accessible drugs.

He highlighted the three stages of disease events, categorising HIV/AIDS as endemic—a stage where control measures have curbed the spread and reduced stigma.

He said, “We have three classifications of a disease outcome or disease events. We have what we call endemic, like Malaria, it is living with us. We have an epidemic which means it has gone beyond the expected rate for that period the global pandemic.

“When HIV started, it was an epidemic in a few places. They just started seeing cases that they’ve never seen, later it became a pandemic. It was everywhere in the world. At this stage that we are, it is endemic.

“This is because we’ve been able to control the spread, we’ve been able to control the stigma, how people see it as something dangerous because now we have treatments for cure. Treatment means you have a treatment that can maintain it. ”

Bashorun urged Nigerians to undergo regular HIV/AIDS tests, emphasising the availability of treatments to manage the disease. He stated, “There is treatment now. So, people should come out to know their HIV status at the same time.”

The announcement coincided with the unveiling of a three-day National Training of Trainers on WHO-approved Standard Q HIV 1& 2 Rapid Test Kit in Nigeria, he explained that this training aims to ensure proper product usage, monitor performance, and assess operational effectiveness in the field.

Highlighting the extensive reach of the training, Bashorun disclosed, “Following the ToT, over 900 additional testers would be trained across the 774 LGAs through regional training in all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The training starts on Thursday, November 23, 2023, in Abuja.”