Nigeria
Total Treatment Sites:		1
Treatment Site Location(s):		Project office based in Abuja
Patients on ART:		n/a
Patient Enrolled:		n/a
Report in PDF Format:		Nigeria Country Report

HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

According to the UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic, in 2007 the adult HIV prevalence rate in Nigeria was 3.1%, which, given Nigeria’s large population, means an estimated 2,600,000 people living with HIV.  The generalized epidemic has spread beyond the so-called high-risk groups such as sex workers, military personnel, and long distance truck drivers, and now affects both rural and urban areas, the rich, and the poor. 

Nigeria’s Human Poverty Index ranking is 158 out of 177 countries, and political instability and corruption have led to a deteriorated healthcare system.  In 2007 only 22% of those needing ART were receiving it (PEPFAR, 2008) and in 2003, only 6% of women and 14% of men had ever been tested for HIV and received the results (WHO, 2007).  The main modes of transmission in Nigeria are heterosexual sex (90% of HIV infections), blood transfusions, and mother-to-child transmission.  The lack of sexual health information and education contributes to increased transmission rates, as do the lack of voluntary counseling and testing and the practice of young women marrying significantly older men.  In 2006, women accounted for 61.5% of adults living with HIV (UNAIDS).

AHF Activities in Nigeria

AHF began work in Nigeria in 2007 as part of Management Sciences for Health’s consortium of international partners implementing the Leadership Management Sustainability AIDS Care and Treatment (LMS ACT) project.  The LMS ACT project is designed to scale-up availability and increase access to AIDS prevention, care and treatment services.  AHF is the main partner supporting clinical services and is responsible for training facility staff while monitoring compliance with existing Ministry of Health protocol for ART, prevention, treatment and use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). 

As part of the AHF Mass Testing Initiative, AHF and its partners conducted 820 tests during events around World AIDS Day 2008, and provided treatment referrals to those who tested positive (5.61%).

Models of Care

Technical Assistance & Supervision

Training