Only 10 per cent of Nigerians have taken HIV test- NACA

Only about 10 per cent of Nigerians have ever taken HIV test, the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, NACA, has said.

The agency made this known in a press statement released on Sunday to mark the celebration of Christmas.

“Statistic has shown that only about 10 percent of Nigerians has ever taken an HIV test once”, the Director-General of the agency, Sani Aliyu, said in the statement.

He said this is a major challenge that must be addressed urgently.

“The only gateway to HIV prevention, care and treatment remains HIV counselling and testing. So if we must win the battle, the percentage of Nigerians that test for HIV must move from the current statistics to at least 90 per cent”, Mr. Aliyu said.

He stressed that Nigerians need to know their HIV/AIDS status, as it is the only way to stop the spread of the disease.