LAGOS, FG, PARTNERS LAUNCH ART IMPACT SURVEY TO DRIVE HIV EPIDEMIC CONTROL

 

LAGOS, FG, PARTNERS LAUNCH ART IMPACT SURVEY TO DRIVE HIV EPIDEMIC CONTROL

...Survey targets 11,397 residents across 20 LGAs in Lagos State

…Data to guide HIV treatment coverage and viral suppression strategies

.Stakeholders urge communities to embrace survey for reliable results

The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health through the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) and implementing national international partners including, APIN-PHIS3 Project, PEPFAR, US CDC, NACA and other stakeholders has launched the Nigeria State-Level Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Impact Survey (AIS) in Lagos.

The town hall meeting, held Tuesday at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, brought together government officials, development partners, health experts, and community leaders under the theme: “Every Step Counts: Towards an HIV-Free Nigeria.”

The survey, which will cover 205 Enumeration Areas, 6,150 households, and approximately 11,397 participants across the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State, seeks to estimate HIV treatment coverage and viral load suppression among adults aged 15–64 years.

 

Declaring the meeting open, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, emphasized the importance of the exercise in strengthening evidence-based planning for HIV response.

“This is an impact survey that will assess HIV prevalence, treatment coverage, and viral load suppression among adults in Lagos,” Ogboye said. “We count on the cooperation of communities, security agencies, and field workers to make it successful.”

He urged field workers to handle their tasks diligently, noting that, “Even though you are one individual in one community, the results you generate will shape national health planning. The success of this survey depends on every one of us.”

On his part, Deputy Director, Epidemiology and Strategic Information at the U.S. CDC, Dr. Ibrahim Dalhatu, described the initiative as a people-centred activity, despite its scientific basis.

“This is ultimately about people—the same people who will be engaged and who will benefit from the exercise,” Dalhatu said. “The outcomes will guide important health decisions on HIV and other diseases for Lagos and Nigeria.”

He reaffirmed CDC’s commitment to technical support, stressing that stakeholders must facilitate access for field workers and ensure community acceptance to guarantee credible results.

Representing the National Coordinator of NASCP, Dr. Adebola Bashorun, Deputy Director, Prevention at NASCP, Dr. Chioma Ukanwa, described the AIS as a globally recognized exercise vital to epidemic control.

“The survey will reach homes, communities and local governments, providing a true picture of the HIV situation,” Ukanwa noted. “We need reliable data to make informed decisions and improve healthcare outcomes.”

She urged community leaders to sensitize members, stressing that cooperation with data collectors will determine the success of the survey.

Also speaking, Director, Research Monitoring and Evaluation at NACA, Mr. Francis Agbo, said the survey provides an opportunity to track progress towards HIV epidemic control in Lagos.

“We have just concluded a similar exercise in Akwa Ibom, and Lagos is the next frontier,” Agbo stated. “The indicators will help us plan for the future.”

Deputy Director, Department of Surveillance at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Williams Nwachukwu, assured of NCDC’s technical support in ensuring quality data collection and analysis.

“We are here to ensure that data and samples are properly preserved, tested, and analyzed with feedback provided,” he said.

Similarly, Project Director, APIN-PHIS3 Project, Dr. Dare Onimode, described the town hall as another milestone in Nigeria’s fight against HIV.

“This meeting provides the opportunity to seek your support for the process. The progress made so far is due to the invaluable backing of stakeholders,” Onimode remarked.

Delivering a goodwill message, representative of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Mr. Patric Akpan, pledged community support to the survey.

“It is essential to generate accurate data because reliable data from Lagos will inform sound policy decisions for Nigeria,” Akpan said.

Director of Disease Control, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Victoria Egunjobi, underscored the need for community trust and participation to ensure credible outcomes.

“Gone are the days when HIV was shrouded in stigma. Today, people living with HIV deserve dignity, respect and universal access to healthcare,” Egunjobi said. “This survey is about evaluating progress and closing gaps.”

In his presentation on Community Mobilization and Advocacy Strategy of the Survey, the Lagos State AIDS Programme Coordinator, Dr. Oladipupo Fisher, explained that the ART Impact Survey would rely heavily on grassroots participation to succeed. He outlined that the survey, which will cover 205 randomly selected Enumeration Areas with about 6,150 households and an estimated 11,000 participants, will deploy 30 survey teams supported by mobilizers tasked with sensitizing communities.

Dr. Fisher emphasized that community mobilization was crucial to creating awareness, building trust, and encouraging participation in the survey. “The mobilization process will be done in three phases—before, during and after data collection—using strategies such as poster placement, town hall meetings, door-to-door visits, and targeted outreach to selected households,” he explained. He noted that mobilizers would also schedule appointments, respond to questions, and monitor perceptions to dispel myths about HIV testing.

Highlighting the roles of community mobilizers, he said they would be responsible for distributing brochures, engaging in group and individual conversations, and ensuring households were available for the survey. “Our aim is to saturate the communities with AIS messages, foster understanding of the survey’s purpose, and ensure households cooperate with field workers,” Fisher said, adding that the exercise would adapt strategies to the unique needs of each Lagos community.

The Nigeria State-Level AIS is supported by PEPFAR, US CDC, NACA, NCDC, APIN Public Health Initiatives, LSACA and other implementing partners and is expected to provide the most reliable state-level data for HIV planning in Lagos.