Lagos clarifies reports of highest HIV infections, says data misinterpreted

By Adeola Ogunrinde

The Lagos State Government has dismissed reports claiming the state recorded the highest number of new HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025, describing the figures as a misinterpretation of public health data capable of creating unnecessary panic and increasing stigma against people living with HIV.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr. Folakemi Animashaun, clarified the state’s position during a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday. She explained that the widely reported figure of 10,430 referred to newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases, not new infections recorded within the year.

According to Animashaun, many of those diagnosed may have contracted the virus years earlier but only recently underwent testing. She added that the figure also includes patients referred from other states or those who travelled to Lagos to access the state’s extensive HIV testing and treatment services.

“The number that has been widely circulated refers to newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases, not necessarily new HIV infections that occurred within the year. These are two very different public health indicators,” she said, warning that confusing the two could discourage people from seeking testing and treatment.

Providing an update on the state’s HIV response, Animashaun said Lagos conducted 504,800 HIV tests in 2025, identifying 11,940 positive cases, representing a positivity rate of 2.4 per cent. She added that in the first quarter of 2026, the state carried out 179,229 HIV tests, with 3,390 positive cases, while the positivity rate declined further to 1.9 per cent.

She described the declining positivity rate, despite expanded testing, as evidence that the state’s HIV control measures are producing positive results. According to her, 147,904 people were receiving antiretroviral therapy across Lagos as of 2025, with 97 per cent achieving viral suppression, a development she described as a major public health milestone.

Animashaun also disclosed that Lagos had made significant progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with the Early Infant Diagnosis positivity rate falling from 5.1 per cent in 2020 to 1.5 per cent in 2025. She further revealed the state has begun implementing a comprehensive HIV Response Acceleration Plan for July to September 2026 to expand testing, strengthen treatment, improve community prevention efforts and enhance data quality across its 20 local government areas and 57 local council development areas.

She further announced that Lagos had become the first state in Nigeria to independently procure antiretroviral drugs to ensure uninterrupted treatment for people living with HIV. According to her, the first consignment of the state-procured medications is expected to arrive before the end of August 2026.