NAIIS
Ciheb worked alongside the Nigerian Ministry of Health and National Agency for the Control of AIDS in completing the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS). The NAIIS was one of the largest population-based household surveys ever conducted that assessed the prevalence of HIV, viral load suppression, and related health indicators. The survey found that HIV prevalence—the percentage of people living with HIV—was lower than previously thought, allowing the country to refocus its services to the areas of greatest need to control the epidemic.
The NAIIS found that HIV prevalence among adults age 15-64 years was 1.5 percent and among children (age 0-14) was 0.2 percent. HIV prevalence was the highest among females age 35-39 years at 3.3 percent. The disparity in HIV prevalence between females and males was greatest among younger adults, with females having more than three times the prevalence of males in this group. NAIIS also found that the prevalence of viral load suppression, a measure of effective HIV treatment in a population, among Nigerian adults living with HIV was 44.5 percent.
Data collection was done from July through December 2018. Home-based HIV counseling and testing services were provided to people who participated in the survey, and participants who tested positive were linked to treatment services. NAIIS data includes national, zonal, and state information on HIV control activities in Nigeria.
NAIIS Results Inspire Hope
Because of the NAIIS, the current nature and extent of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is more precisely understood, and has inspired hope and created additional momentum for ending the epidemic.