The Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Gambo Aliyu has disclosed that a total of 1,619,133 Nigerians living with HIV are presently on treatment.

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja ahead of the World AIDS Day, Aliyu explained that there is an increment from 251 in 2017 to 2,262 in 2020 of treatment sites in the country.

He said: “As at the end of September 2022 we have 1,619,133 persons on treatment, which represents a significant leap when compared to 838,020 persons in 2017.”

According to the Director General, there was significant growth in key population treatment centres, rising from 10 in 2017 with a coverage of 16,147 to 118 in 2021 with coverage of over 221,010. He further revealed that new HIV infections gradually declined from 103,404 in 2019 to 92,323 in 2021.

Meanwhile, Osagie Ehanire, the Health Minister, said the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day commemoration, ‘Equalise to End AIDS: Equal Access to Treatment & Prevention Services’ was meant for renewed commitment to achieving epidemic control, with the aim towards ending AIDS by 2030.

Akudo Ikpeazu, National Coordinator, National AIDS, STI and Hepatitis Control Programme of the Ministry of Health, who represented the minister, assured that Nigeria was moving closer to her targets.