41.7% of Lagos Residents With HIV Unaware of Their Status
Kehinde Adeleye
A new population-based HIV survey in Lagos State has revealed that 41.7 per cent of people living with HIV are unaware of their status, while fewer than half have achieved viral suppression.
The survey also estimated HIV prevalence in the state at 1.2 per cent, with women recording a higher prevalence of 1.6 per cent compared to 0.8 per cent among men.
The findings were contained in the Nigeria State-Level Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Impact Survey, conducted between November 2025 and February 2026 with funding from the United States Government through the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The survey covered adults aged between 15 and 64 and was presented in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to the findings, only 58.3 per cent of people living with HIV in the state knew their status, while 93.4 per cent of those diagnosed were receiving antiretroviral treatment.
However, only 88.9 per cent of those receiving treatment had achieved viral suppression, bringing the overall proportion of people living with HIV who had suppressed the virus to 48.3 per cent.
Speaking at the presentation, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Dayo Lajide, said the findings would help the state assess progress in its HIV response since the 2018 Nigeria AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), which identified gaps and evaluated existing interventions.
Lajide also referenced the 2025 HIV Health Sector Report published by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme (NASCP).
The report estimated that 192,911 people were living with HIV in Lagos, with 129,977 receiving antiretroviral treatment, representing a treatment coverage of 65.7 per cent.
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr Temitope Ilori, said conducting the survey was only the first step, stressing that the more difficult task was translating its findings into improved healthcare services.
She urged stakeholders to take ownership of the data, identify underserved populations and channel resources towards addressing gaps in HIV prevention, testing and treatment.
Ilori added that the Federal Government was ready to support state governments in using the findings to strengthen their HIV response.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LASACA), Dr Anima Shaw, said the survey would guide the state’s budgeting, resource allocation and healthcare planning.
She explained that the state would focus on communities with high numbers of undiagnosed and untreated cases while strengthening treatment adherence, retention in care and differentiated service delivery.
Shaw called on stakeholders to move beyond the survey findings and implement targeted interventions, emphasising that their responsibility to people living with HIV must continue beyond the data collection exercise.
