NIGERIA: AIDS rate concern despite slight drop

Nigerian AIDS experts expressed concern on Thursday over the number of people living with the HI virus, despite a recent marginal drop in prevalence rates.

Although government anti-AIDS efforts resulted in a reduction from 5 percent prevalence in 2004 to 4.4 percent in 2005, the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) said more than six million of the 120 million population were HIV-positive.

Hajia Memunia Yakub Mohammed, NACA's director of AIDS coordination and support programmes, said most people were not assimilating lessons on risky sexual behaviour.

The local This Day newspaper quoted Mohammed as saying, "Nigerians are yet to come to terms with the ugly consequences of the disease. We have not imbibed the lessons, nor seen the reason to change our bad habits which fuels the spread of HIV."

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]