Health experts on Friday assured Nigerians that with the aid of science and modern technology, being diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus is no longer a death sentence.
The Chief Executive Officer of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Prof. Prosper Okonkwo, made the declaration in Abuja, during activities marking the organisation’s 25th anniversary—an event that also doubled as a reflection on how far Nigeria’s HIV response has come since the early 2000s.
Okonkwo highlighted that what was once a fatal diagnosis has become a manageable chronic condition, supported by science, access to treatment, and decades of sustained public health investment.
Recounting the grim beginnings of the epidemic response in Nigeria, the health professional painted a picture of a country overwhelmed by loss and uncertainty:
He said, “In the year 2000, a person living with HIV in Nigeria was, in most cases, living with a death sentence. There were no antiretroviral drugs widely available. There was no pathway to an undetectable viral load.
