The Adamawa State Agency for HIV/AIDS Control (ADSACA) has reported that the state has recorded at least 8,850 new HIV infections between 2022 and 2025.
The agency's Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed this at a media interactive session on the state's HIV/AIDS response in Yola on Thursday.
Adamu said the engagement was organized to strengthen collaboration with the media towards raising public awareness about HIV prevention and behavior change.
According to him, data shows that from 2022 to date, new HIV infections have been increasing annually across the state.
“In 2022, we recorded more than 2,700 new infections; in 2023, more than 2,500; in 2024, 2,227; and from January to June 2025, we have already recorded 1,423 new infections,” he said.
Adamu expressed concern over the continued increase in new cases despite the availability of preventive measures, saying this trend calls for an urgent review of existing strategies.
“We need to re-strategize and adopt new approaches that will strengthen public awareness and promote preventive practices.
“We have preventive options like abstinence, consistent condom use and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but many people are not taking them seriously.
“However, people living with HIV who strictly adhere to their medication cannot transmit the virus to others and can live healthy and productive lives,” he said.
The director also said that less than 40,000 people living with HIV are currently receiving treatment in the state, of which about 93 percent have achieved viral suppression.
He said about 400 HIV-related deaths were recorded in 2024.
Adamu called on pregnant women to register for antenatal care, noting that prevention of mother-to-child transmission is key to reducing new infections.
“In 2024, approximately 509 pregnant women who registered for antenatal care were enrolled on HIV treatment, of which 180 were new infections.
“Without prenatal care and hospital delivery, these mothers could unknowingly spread the virus to their newborns,” she said.
He said the Adamawa State Government has purchased over 40,000 HIV testing kits and urged residents to avail of the free testing services at health facilities and testing centres.
Also speaking, John Tobias, North-East Zonal Coordinator of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), urged Nigerians to take ownership of the fight against HIV.
Tobias said a recent “stop-work order” by the United States government in February impacted donor-supported interventions, limiting Nigeria's ability to provide treatment and care.
“This development is a wake-up call for us to start taking responsibility for our health and reduce our overdependence on donor aid,” he said.
Within the first six months of 2025, 1,423 people were newly infected in Adamawa, he said, describing the figure as “avoidable”.
Tobias stressed that treatment is also a form of prevention, pointing out that a person with HIV who achieves viral suppression cannot transmit the virus.
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“If everyone with HIV is identified and treated, there will be no chance of transmission.
“We must accelerate our efforts and aim to eliminate new HIV infections by 2030,” he said.
He appealed to journalists to take ownership of HIV awareness campaigns by sensitizing the public and promoting positive behavioral change to end the epidemic.
