No fewer than 120,000 individuals in Lagos State are currently receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy, with a particular focus on children, adolescents, and other vulnerable groups, according to the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA).
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a treatment for people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LSACA, Folakemi Animashaun made the disclosure on Monday at a press briefing for a week of activity in commemoration of the 2024 World AIDS Day.
Ms Animashaun added that LSACA has reached over 1million people with HIV through prevention education and testing services, according to a statement on the Lagos state government’s Facebook page.
Giving more details, Ms Animashaun stated that of the 120,000 people living with HIV in the state, 340 children aged one to four lived with the condition, while 879 were between the ages of five and nine.
She noted that 2,077 adolescents in the state were living with HIV, emphasising the importance of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV to reduce these numbers.
“Let me follow up about the number of children with HIV. For children between one to four years, we have about 340. For five to nine years, we have 879, from 10 to 14 years, we have 1,442, and from 15 to 19, we have about 2,077,” she said.
Ms Animashaun also stated that the agency has developed a guideline addressing the intersection between Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and HIV, recognising the overlap between these two pressing public health challenges.