Lagos State government, yesterday, reaffirmed its commitment to ending HIV-related stigma and discrimination, imploring religious leaders to use their platforms to promote HIV awareness, encourage voluntary testing, and challenge stigma and discrimination.

The Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr Folakemi Animashaun, appealed during a sensitisation workshop on HIV Prevention and HIV-Related Stigma for Religious Leaders in Lagos.

The yearly event, which forms part of the Lagos State government’s strategic efforts toward the effective management and control of HIV, brought together influential religious leaders from all five divisions of the state to strengthen faith-based collaboration in advancing HIV prevention, treatment literacy, and stigma reduction within their communities.

In her keynote address, Animashaun called for collective responsibility in eradicating stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. She emphasised that despite over four decades of global response to the epidemic, complacency has set in.

“HIV has been with us for nearly 40 years, yet we have allowed complacency to weaken our collective response. The global focus on COVID-19 made many believe that HIV is no longer a major threat. While the world developed a COVID-19 vaccine in record time, we are still waiting for an HIV vaccine. But the real challenge is not the absence of a vaccine; it is the way we treat those living with HIV,” she stated.

Animashaun stressed that HIV is no longer a death sentence, citing medical advancements that allow people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives. However, she lamented that social stigma and discrimination continue to inflict deep psychological suffering, sometimes with fatal consequences.