Govt says nearly 4 million Nigerians have HIV

An estimated 3.8 million Nigerians are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, making the West African country one of the hardest hit in the world, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo says.

Govt says nearly 4 million Nigerians have HIVAn estimated 3.8 million Nigerians are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, making the West African country one of the hardest hit in the world, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo says.”I am very unhappy to report that as of today, Nigeria is still one of the countries worst affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world, next to South Africa and India, in terms of the number of people living with HIV/AIDS,” Mr Lambo said.He says the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, fell to 5 per cent of the population in 2003 from 5.8 per cent in 2001.But Mr Lambo says the lower rate should not be interpreted as a sign that the virus was on the retreat, as he presented results of a biannual survey to government.”It should not be seen as a decline or even a stabilisation of the epidemic,” he said, adding that the change was not statistically significant.He said in 2003 alone, there were more than 300,000 AIDS cases and about 80,00 newborn babies infected with the virus.”The high medical, emotional and social costs on people living with HIV/AIDS cannot be adequately quantified,” he said.The survey showed about 3.8 million Nigerians are infected with the HIV virus, while 2.3 million people have already died from AIDS.Mr Lambo said the rate had risen steadily since 1991 when testing began and it stood at 1.8 per cent. The West African country is characterised by having several epidemics of the disease all spreading at different rates.South-western Nigeria has the lowest rate of 2.3 per cent, while the north-central zone is highest at 7.0 per cent.(Source: Reuters Health, May 2004)