Lagos Dismisses HIV Infection Reports, Urges Calm

The Lagos State Government has dismissed reports suggesting it recorded the highest number of new HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025, clarifying that the widely circulated figures refer to newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases, not fresh infections.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Dr. Folakemi Animashaun, made the clarification during a press briefing in Alausa.

She explained that newly diagnosed cases include people who may have contracted HIV years earlier but were only recently tested, as well as patients referred from other states for treatment in Lagos.

According to her, Lagos conducted 504,800 HIV tests in 2025 and identified 11,940 positive cases, representing a positivity rate of 2.4 percent.

She added that in the first quarter of 2026, the state carried out 179,229 HIV tests and recorded 3,390 positive cases, with the positivity rate declining to 1.9 percent.

The agency said the steady decline in the positivity rate indicates improving HIV control across the state.

LSACA also disclosed that 147,904 people were receiving antiretroviral therapy in Lagos as of 2025, with 97 percent achieving viral suppression.

The agency further revealed that mother-to-child HIV transmission has reduced significantly, with early infant diagnosis positivity dropping from 5.1 percent in 2020 to 1.5 percent in 2025.

Dr. Animashaun announced that Lagos has become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to independently procure antiretroviral drugs, with the first batch expected by August 2026.

She assured residents that there is no cause for panic and urged Lagosians to know their HIV status, seek treatment early and reject stigma and discrimination.