Lagos Allays Fear Over HIV High Figures

Lagos State government has dismissed widespread reports suggesting the state recorded the highest number of new HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025.

It said the figures were misinterpreted and do not reflect fresh infections.

At a press conference at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, the chief executive officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr Folakemi Animashaun, said the controversial figure of 10,430 widely reported in the media represented newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases.

These people became infected with HIV in 2025, he said.

According to her, many of those diagnosed may have contracted the virus years earlier but only recently got tested. In contrast, others came to Lagos from different states for diagnosis or treatment because of the state’s robust healthcare system.

“The figures being circulated require proper technical interpretation. Newly diagnosed HIV cases are different from new HIV infections. Confusing the two creates unnecessary panic, fuels stigma and discourages people from going for HIV testing,” she said.

Animashaun disclosed that the state has already engaged relevant stakeholders to clarify the methodology and reporting assumptions behind the published figures to ensure accurate public understanding.

She noted that Lagos, being Nigeria’s commercial capital, the country’s most populous state and one of its biggest healthcare referral centres, naturally records high volumes of HIV testing, treatment and patient referrals.

According to her, stronger surveillance systems and expanded access to healthcare inevitably lead to more diagnosed cases and should not be mistaken for a worsening HIV epidemic.

Presenting the state’s latest 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.

She added that in the first quarter of 2026 alone, the state conducted 179,229 HIV tests, with 3,390 positive cases, and that the positivity rate further declined to 1.9 per cent, describing the trend as evidence of improving epidemic control.

Animashaun also revealed that 147,904 people are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) across Lagos, with 97 per cent achieving viral suppression, a development she described as a major public health milestone.

She further disclosed that Lagos has recorded remarkable progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with the Early Infant Diagnosis positivity rate dropping from 5.1 per cent in 2020 to 1.5 per cent in 2025.

According to her, these indicators demonstrate that Lagos has built one of Nigeria’s strongest HIV surveillance, prevention and treatment programmes.

Animashaun announced that Lagos has commenced a three-month HIV Response Acceleration Plan covering July to September 2026, aimed at expanding HIV testing, strengthening treatment enrolment and retention, improving service quality, scaling up community prevention, enhancing data quality and ensuring programme sustainability across all 20 Local Government Areas and 57 Local Council Development Areas.