Despite significant progress in controlling HIV across Abia State, the Ukwa East local government area has continued to report high infection rates, sparking renewed calls for intensified grassroots engagement.

The report was presented by the Abia State Agency for the Control of AIDS, ABSACA, in Umuahia during a one-day sensitisation workshop organized for members of the Ward Development Committees.

Director-General of ABSACA, Dr. Uloaku Emma-Ukaegbu disclosed that Ukwa East leads the list of local government areas with the highest HIV prevalence in Abia, with a rate of 2.48%, followed by Ikwuano at 2.38% and Obingwa at 2.29%.

Emma-Ukaegbu, who described Ward Development Committees, WDCs, as the backbone of HIV response at the community level, urged them to spearhead town hall meetings, market sensitization campaigns, and faith-based outreach programs to drive awareness, prevention, testing, and treatment.

According to her, 46,788 individuals are currently receiving HIV treatment in Abia State.

She, however, said that the total HIV rate in Abia State, which was 5.1% in 2018, dropped to 2.1% in 2024.

On the national front, she disclosed that the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, reported 75,000 new HIV infections and 45,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2023, with an estimated 1.9 million Nigerians living with the virus.

Also speaking at the workshop, ABSACA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Chinedu Iroh, stressed the importance of prevention strategies, particularly consistent condom use, to curb HIV transmission and prevent other sexually transmitted infections.

Another resource person, Ekeoma Akidi lamented that stigmatising of HIV patients had been affecting the prevention of the disease and appealed to traditional and religious leaders to discourage stigma in their communities.