THURSDAY April 24, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng

A new report by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has shown that Rivers State has the highest number of Persons Living with HIV (PLWHIV) in Nigeria.

The report titled “2024 HIV Spectrum Estimates’ indicates that Rivers State accounts for 208,767 HIV cases, followed by Benue State with 202,346 cases, while Akwa Ibom ranks third with 161,597 cases.

The report indicates that Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial hub, accounts for 108,649 cases, taking fourth place nationwide.

This is followed by Anambra with 100,429 cases, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has one of the highest numbers in the North-Central region with 83,333 reported cases.

According to the report, more than two million people are currently living with HIV across the country, highlighting the need for sustained efforts in prevention, testing, and access to treatment.

More statistics

Other states with high-prevalence include Delta-68,170, Imo-67,944, Enugu-61,028, Edo-60,095, and Taraba-58,460.

The middle tier states include Abia -54,655, Kaduna -54,458, and Kano 53,972.

Plateau State also reported a significant number, with 51,736 cases, followed closely by Borno-50,433 and Oyo-50,063. Cross River-43,452, Ogun-43,348, and Nasarawa-44,993 make up the mid-range prevalence group.

Adamawa reported 40,059 cases, while states like Gombe reported 31,825 cases, Jigawa-31,409, Osun-30,714, and Niger – 29,756.

The lower-middle category states include Bauchi which reported 28,698 cases, followed by Kogi-28,421, Ondo-27,150, and Katsina-26,788 and Bayelsa with 25,339 cases.

States with the lowest numbers of recorded cases include Kwara -20,259, Kebbi -19,339, Ekiti -18,857, Sokoto -15,223, Ebonyi -14,151, Zamfara -13,253, and Yobe with 11,956 cases.

Mortality and treatment access

The report estimates also revealed that in the past year, an estimated 43,683 people died from HIV-related causes. This includes 28,589 adults, which comprises 13,650 males and 14,939 females. Among children aged 0–14, there were 15,094 reported deaths.

As of the latest data, 1,753,425 people living with HIV know their HIV status.