‘Only 38% of Nigerians know their HIV status’

Only about 38 per cent of Nigerians are aware of their HIV status, says the country programme director, AIDS HealthCare Foundation (AHF), Dr. Echey Ijezie.

Ijezie stated this at the weekend in Abuja when the foundation embarked on a road walk to commemorate the 2018 World AIDS Day themed ‘Know Your Status’.

He said: “Globally and in Nigeria, there are several millions of people who are HIV-positive and do not know their status.
[ad]
“We encourage all Nigerians to get tested, as a large proportion was still not aware of their status.”

To mark the day, the foundation conducted HIV screening for about 50,000 Nigerians and distributed about 300,000 condoms across the six states they operate.

According to him, 2018 is major landmark for AHF, as it passed over one million patients-in-care worldwide.

Director-general, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Sani Aliyu, called on Nigerians to get tested to enable them know their status, as the day provides people the opportunity to unite in the fight against HIV and its attendant stigmatisation.

“World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 globally. I had my test a few days ago and I encourage everyone to get tested to know their status,” he said.