Akwa Ibom State government says it has recorded a significant decline in HIV prevalence, dropping from 6.5 per cent to 4.3 per cent.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Ekem Emmanuel John who made the disclosure in Uyo at the weekend attributed the improvement to sustained interventions by the state government in the health sector, including expanded access to testing, treatment and other preventive healthcare services.
The commissioner, however, cautioned that the latest figure may not represent the full picture, as about 51 per cent of residents are yet to ascertain their HIV status. He therefore called for intensified public awareness and media advocacy, particularly in rural communities, to encourage more residents to undergo voluntary testing.
He also urged people living with HIV not to regard the diagnosis as a death sentence, stressing that adherence to antiretroviral therapy could enable infected persons to live normal and productive lives. The treatment, he noted, remains available free of charge at designated government health facilities across the state.
John said the progress recorded in HIV control was part of broader gains achieved through the state’s health-sector reforms under Governor Umo Eno. He disclosed that measles vaccination coverage rose from 43 per cent in 2023 to 77 per cent in 2025, while malaria prevalence declined from 30.46 per cent in 2024 to 15.1 per cent in 2026.
The commissioner further reported a steep increase in patronage of General Hospitals, with patient visits rising from about 68,000 in 2024 to more than 481,000 in 2025. He linked the surge partly to the state’s health insurance scheme, which he said had removed financial barriers that previously kept many residents away from healthcare facilities.
According to him, more than 230,000 residents have enrolled in the health insurance scheme within 18 months, with the programme funding over 622,000 patient consultations. He added that more than 3,400 women had delivered vaginally at no cost, while nearly 1,900 caesarean sections were performed, with only one mortality recorded.
John said the scheme also funded 2,950 eye-care reviews, while health facilities received more than ₦690 million in payments last year. He described the programme as a shield against catastrophic health expenditure and urged residents to take advantage of available services, particularly HIV testing and treatment, to sustain the gains recorded in the fight against the disease.
