388,864 Nigerians Infected With HIV a year

Unbelievable at least, 388,864 Nigerians were infected with the HIV
disease in 2011 alone , says the Lagos State Government .
The government quoted the National AIDS Control Agency statistics,
which revealed that there were 388,864 fresh cases of HIV reported as
at the end of 201.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Social Development,Dr.
Dolapo Badru, spoke at a one-day HIV Prevention and HTC Workshop
organised by his officein conjunction with Lagos State AIDS Control
Agency, LSACA, in Surulere, Lagos, southwest Nigeria on Thursday.
"For the 26 years period dated 1986 to December 2011, that AIDS was
first reported in Nigeria,3,459,363 people now live with HIV. An
estimated 1,449,166 people require Anti-Rectroviral; 388,864 new
infections occurred in the year ended 2011.
"The data collected from the National AIDS Control Agency shows
217,148 AIDS-related deaths between 1991 and 2001 and Nigeria
witnessed an increase in the prevalence of HIV in the country," said
Badru.
"As at today, 5.4 million young people out of the global population of
1.7 billion are living with HIV and 40 percent of new HIV infections
occur among young people, they have the highest rates of Sexually
Transmitted Infections, STIs.
"In Nigeria, the prevalence among young women aged 15-24 is estimated
to be three times higher than among men of the same age. Female
constitutes 58 percent (about 1.72 million) ofpersons living with HIV
in Nigeria.Each year, 55 percent of AIDS deaths in Nigeria occur among
women and girls," he added.
Badru, whose speech was read by the Director, Finance and
Administration in the ministry, Olalekan Akodu said there was the need
to intensify collective efforts to meet the serious challenges to
elimination of HIV among young people in Nigeria and Lagos State in
particular in order to move toward an HIV-free generation by 2015.
Source:Naijamayor