The Lagos State Government has revealed that over 135,000 residents are currently living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, highlighting the ongoing public health challenge in Nigeria’s most populous state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
“135,224 residents are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV),” Abayomi said, adding that the state government has intensified awareness and intervention efforts by engaging more than 100 religious leaders as HIV and AIDS ambassadors.
He explained that the involvement of faith leaders is aimed at reducing stigma and improving community-level outreach.
“We are using trusted voices to drive education, testing, and treatment in our communities,” he said.
In addition to tackling HIV, the state has provided free cervical cancer screenings for 154,228 women and treated 8,613 with thermal ablation.
It also conducted prostate cancer screenings for 300 men, alongside screening 312,927 people for hypertension and diabetes.