…Females dominate new infections across key age groups
…Experts push targeted interventions as disparities widen
Nigeria has recorded a sharp decline in new HIV infections nationwide, but fresh data has identified Lagos State and Benue State as persistent hotspots, with health experts warning that uneven progress could undermine recent gains.
The latest figures released on Wednesday by the National Data Repository showed that while the country is making significant strides in controlling the virus, new infections remain disproportionately concentrated in a few states and among vulnerable populations, particularly young women.
According to the report, Nigeria is nearing the global 95-95-95 HIV targets, with 95 per cent of people living with HIV now aware of their status.
It added that a similar percentage is currently receiving treatment, with no fewer than 1,657,173 patients accessing therapy across 1,997 health facilities nationwide.
The data further indicated that 95 per cent of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression, reflecting improved adherence and the effectiveness of ongoing intervention programmes.
Despite these gains, the report identified Lagos State as recording the highest number of new infections at 2,342 cases, followed by Benue State with 1,956. Other high-burden states include Rivers State (1,185), Akwa Ibom State (1,155), and Anambra State (1,023).
In contrast, states such as Sokoto State, Yobe State, and Zamfara State recorded the lowest number of new infections.
A regional breakdown showed that the South-West bears the highest burden with 4,628 cases, followed by the South-South with 3,942.
The South-East recorded 2,691 cases, while the North-East and North-West posted 2,863 and 2,132 cases respectively.
The Federal Capital Territory accounted for 679 cases.
The report highlighted stark gender disparities, noting that females—especially young women—accounted for the majority of new infections across nearly all age groups, while children aged between five and nine recorded the lowest incidence.
Further analysis of a decade-long trend showed a fluctuating pattern in new infections, rising from 228,014 cases in 2016 to a peak of 464,355 in 2020, before declining sharply to 21,389 in 2026. This represents a 90.8 per cent drop from the 111,513 cases recorded in 2025.
Other annual figures include 237,756 in 2017; 215,231 in 2018; 27,181 in 2019; 451,402 in 2021; 330,690 in 2022; 238,748 in 2023; and 143,666 in 2024.
On treatment coverage, Benue State (191,225), Akwa Ibom State (142,216), and Lagos State (137,006) recorded the highest number of patients receiving care, while Sokoto State (9,068) and Ekiti State (12,271) had the lowest figures.
Regionally, the South-South leads in treatment coverage, followed by the South-West, while the North-West trails behind.
The NDR, however, cautioned that the persistence of higher infection rates among women and in specific states underscores the urgent need for targeted, age- and region-specific interventions.
It warned that without intensified efforts focused on high-burden areas and vulnerable groups, Nigeria’s progress towards eliminating HIV as a public health threat could stall.
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