Two Million Nigerians Living With HIV/AIDS – US Agency Reveals

Rachel Goldstein, the Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of HIV and TB Control, has revealed that about two million Nigerians are still living with HIV/AIDS.

Goldstein said out of the number, about 1.8 million were on treatment

She said more efforts should be made to cover the rest of the population that are not on treatment.

This was made known while speaking at a USAID-funded programme.

“Two million people are still living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. About 1.8 of the population are on treatment, but the two to three per cent of the population are not on treatment,” she said.

She continued: “The EPIC-KPIF programme helped in testing and treatment. We have met the need of the key population and there is the need to address the issue of mental health services, gender and human rights. We will ensure multi-sectoral capacity building.

"We will continue to work with the local partners, especially in Niger and Bayelsa States.”

However, the acting country director of FHI 360, Nigeria, Dr Hadiza Khamofu, said, “We’ve been around since the beginning of this pandemic. People were dying before but they can’t die of HIV again. 

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will have an epidemic centre. We work with the American organization. They help us to save the lives of the people.”