Akwa Ibom, Benue have highest number of HIV positive persons, says NACA

The LATEST quarterly factsheet of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has revealed that that two states – Akwa Ibom and Benue – have the highest number of HIV positive persons in the country.

According to the report, 48 out of every 1,000 persons selected at random in the states are likely to test positive for HIV, which is higher than the national average – 13 in every 1,000 persons.

This brings the HIV prevalence rate in Nigeria to 1.3 per cent, according to the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS

Other states, like Taraba, Anambra and Abia, have the next highest HIV prevalence rate of 2.6, 2.2, and 2.0 per cent.

The report shows that states in the North have the lowest HIV prevalence rate.

Speaking with The Nation on the trends of HIV prevalence across Nigeria, NACA Director-General Dr. Gambo Aliyu said: “This is largely first because of behaviour.