Report By Olufunke Fayemi
Participants and Advocates at the end of the 5 -Day Media Training on HIV Communication at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.
Two decades ago, the global AIDS pandemic seemed unstoppable, with over 2.5 million people acquiring HIV each year and AIDS claiming two million lives annually.
In Nigeria, where approximately 20 million people live with HIV, experts now assert that it is no longer a death sentence. Instead, living positively with HIV and reducing its spread is what truly matters.
Journalists play a crucial role in shaping the narrative and ensuring the public receives the right perspectives.
This was the central theme at a five-day media training organized by Journalist Against AIDS (JAAIDS) and Livinghealth International, supported by PEPFAR through the Henry Jackson Foundation (HJFMRI). The landscape has changed significantly: those who tested positive for HIV and have been on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for about 20 years are alive and healthy.
In her opening remarks, Funmi Adesina, PEPFAR Nigeria Country Coordinator, emphasized the media’s role in disseminating accurate, evidence-based information about HIV. “Misinformation can have devastating consequences, leading to fear, stigma, and harmful practices,” she said. “We must work together to ensure that the public receives the right messages about prevention, treatment, and care. By doing so, we can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.”
Despite the significant reduction in new cases, Dr. Murphy, Adviser at UNAIDS, noted that more work is needed. He outlined the building blocks for a successful HIV response, “scaling up accessible HIV treatment and prevention, prioritizing human rights, addressing societal and structural inequalities affecting access to services, collecting and using granular data in real-time, maintaining sustained political commitment, engaging affected communities, adopting innovations and new technologies, and funding resilient, integrated, and accessible public and community health systems”.
Dr. Yewande Olaifa, Deputy Director of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, detailed the current approaches the Nigerian government is employing for a sustained HIV response. One such initiative is The Sustainability Agenda, which aims to create “an effective and efficient HIV response owned, driven, resourced, and led by the people and the government of Nigeria at different levels, with support from partners, in line with the Paris Declaration 2005.”
Dr. Olaifa explained that Nigeria is also working towards the global “95-95-95” goals, “95% of people with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed are accessing treatment, and 95% of those receiving treatment have achieved an undetectable viral load. Notably, antiretroviral drugs are free in the country”.
Dr. Mercy Morka of the National AIDS and STDs Control Programme highlighted that “most children under 15 living with HIV acquire the infection through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Nigerian women bear a significant burden of HIV, making the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) a priority for the Federal Ministry of Health. It is estimated that about 93,000 HIV-positive women will become pregnant each year”.
The use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is encouraged for those on ARV drugs who are exposed to HIV. The ultimate goal of stakeholders working on HIV is achieving “U=U” (Undetectable = Untransmittable) and the 95-95-95 targets.
Also present at the event were Dr. Lawal Bakare and Dr. Lucas Koyejo, Director/Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, who stressed the importance of seeking justice when marginalized as a person living with HIV.
A new approach to HIV reporting was established, focusing on how journalists frame stories and use language to build positivity around HIV messages. These points were driven home by Olayide Akanni, CEO of JAAIDS, and Dr. Gbenga Adebayo, Health Communication Specialist and Founder of Livinghealth International.