Lagos to receive first state-funded HIV medicine August

The Lagos State Government says it will become the first sub-national government in Nigeria to independently procure antiretroviral medicines for people living with HIV, with the first shipment expected to arrive before the end of August.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Folakemi Animashaun, announced the development on Thursday during a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, where she also challenged a recent report by the Federal Ministry of Health, which ranked Lagos as the state with the highest number of new HIV infections in Nigeria.

Animashaun described the state’s procurement of HIV medicines as a landmark step towards reducing dependence on international donors and guaranteeing uninterrupted access to treatment.

“We are pleased to inform Lagosians that the first consignment of these state-procured ARV medicines is expected to arrive in Lagos by the end of August 2026.

“This marks a historic milestone, making Lagos State the first sub-national government in Nigeria to independently procure antiretroviral medicines for people living with HIV,” she said.

Animashaun said the initiative demonstrated the state’s commitment to sustaining HIV treatment regardless of fluctuations in donor funding.

“This landmark initiative demonstrates the unwavering commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration to safeguarding the health of Lagos residents, reducing dependence on external donor support, and ensuring uninterrupted access to life-saving HIV treatment,” she said.

Animashaun added that the state was also working with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to explore local production of antiretroviral medicines, drawing lessons from Kenya’s pharmaceutical and health commodity management system.

“Furthermore, the state is exploring opportunities to strengthen local health security through sustainable antiretroviral commodity production by leveraging international best practices, including lessons from Kenya’s pharmaceutical and health commodity management experience, while collaborating with global partners such as UNAIDS,” she added.

The CEO explained that local production would strengthen supply chains, lower long-term treatment costs and improve access to HIV medicines.

The announcement came as the agency faulted recent reports arising from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025, which listed Lagos as recording 10,430 new HIV infections, the highest in the country.

Animashaun argued that the figure had been widely misunderstood.

“The figure widely reported in the media requires important technical interpretation. It does not literally translate to the state recording 10,430 new HIV infections in 2025.

“The number that has been widely circulated refers to newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases, not necessarily new HIV infections that occurred within the year. These are two very different public health indicators,” she said.

She further explained that many of the people captured in the figure may have contracted HIV years earlier but only recently underwent testing.

“These include persons who may have acquired HIV several years earlier but were only recently tested. The figure may also include people who travelled to Lagos for testing or treatment, referrals from other states, and individuals identified because of the state’s expanded access to HIV testing services,” she said.

Animashaun maintained that new HIV infections are estimated through scientific surveillance and epidemiological modelling rather than routine testing data.

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“New HIV infections refer to individuals who acquired HIV within a defined period and are estimated using established epidemiological surveillance methods and scientific modelling.

“This distinction is critical because inaccurate interpretation of public health data can generate unnecessary fear, increase stigma and discrimination, discourage HIV testing and ultimately undermine public health interventions,” she said.

Animashaun added that Lagos had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to better understand the methodology and assumptions underlying the federal report.

She also attributed the state’s relatively high number of diagnosed cases to its population size and position as Nigeria’s largest healthcare referral centre.

“As Nigeria’s most populous state, commercial centre and one of the country’s largest healthcare referral hubs, Lagos naturally records some of the highest volumes of HIV testing, diagnosis, treatment and patient referrals.

“Stronger surveillance systems and wider access to healthcare services invariably result in higher case detection and should not be misconstrued as evidence of worsening epidemic control,” she said.

The agency presented programme data showing that Lagos conducted 504,800 HIV tests in 2025, identifying 11,940 positive cases, representing a positivity rate of 2.4 per cent.

In the first quarter of 2026, the state carried out 179,229 tests and identified 3,390 positive cases, with the positivity rate falling to 1.9 per cent.

“The declining positivity rate, despite expanded testing, is a significant epidemiological indicator that reflects improving epidemic control,” Animashaun said.

She added that 147,904 people were receiving antiretroviral treatment across Lagos as of 2025, with 97 per cent achieving viral suppression.

She also said the state’s Early Infant Diagnosis positivity rate had declined from 5.1 per cent in 2020 to 1.5 per cent in 2025, reflecting improvements in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Animashaun disclosed that Lagos had commenced an HIV Response Acceleration Plan covering July to September 2026 across all 20 local government areas and 57 local council development areas.

The plan, she said, includes expanded HIV testing, improved treatment retention, enhanced community prevention programmes and the rollout of oral and long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis.

“There is no cause for panic. Know your HIV status, access available prevention, testing, treatment and care services, rely only on verified public health information, and reject every form of stigma and discrimination.

“HIV remains preventable and manageable. With early diagnosis and sustained treatment, people living with HIV can live long, healthy, productive and fulfilling lives,” she said.

An information officer at the Federal Ministry of Health told The PUNCH that he would need to gather more information before responding to whether the Lagos health authorities’ interpretation accurately represents the situation.