The prevalence of HIV among men who sleep with men (MSM) in Nigeria has increased to 17.2% last year, up from 13.5% in 2007, according to a 2010 behavioural surveillance of groups thought to be at high risk of HIV/AIDS.
The survey also indicated that one in two MSMs has a female sex partner and that consistent use of condom with both male and female partners was low.
Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said the bridge between MSMs, many of whom identified themselves as bisexual in the survey, and female partners posed "a serious challenge to the national response to HIV epidemic" currently standing at 4.1% national prevalence.
"If care is not taken, this behaviour may erode the gains we have made in the national response to HIV/AIDS," the minister, represented by Dr Tolu Fakeye, director for health planning, research and statistics at the ministry, said at the launch of the report in Abuja.
The survey studied some 14,987 people classified in high-risk groups--including female sex workers, men who have sex with men, police and armed forces personnel, transport workers and injecting drug users. This group represents 1% of population but accounts for 38% of new HIV infections.
It found HIV prevalence among brothel-based female workers fell from 37.4% in 2007 to 27.4% in 2010. A similar decline was also recorded for female sex workers not based in brothels, 21% at present, down from 30% in 2007.
A prevalence of 4.2% was recorded among injecting drug users, while 2.4% was recorded among transport workers.
The survey also found declining prevalence of HIV among security personnel--2.6% among police officers and 2.5% in the armed forces.
Brigadier-General Ekanem, former head of armed forces HIV prevention response, said the reduction came from communicating to the military personnel the risk of HIV from easy sexual contact.
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How is HIV transmitted in Nigeria?
There are three main HIV transmission routes in Nigeria:
1. Heterosexual sex.
Approximately 80-95 percent of HIV infections in Nigeria are a result of heterosexual sex.
Factors contributing to this include a lack of information about sexual health and HIV, low levels of condom use, and high levels of sexually transmitted diseases.
Women are particularly affected by HIV; in 2009 women accounted for 56 percent of all adults aged 15 and above living with the virus. 2. Blood transfusions.
HIV transmission through unsafe blood accounts for the second largest source of HIV infection in Nigeria.
Not all Nigerian hospitals have the technology to effectively screen blood and therefore there is a risk of using contaminated blood.
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health have responded by backing legislation that requires hospitals to only use blood from the National Blood Transfusion Service, which has far more advanced blood-screening technology. 3. Mother-to-child transmission.
Each year around 57,000 babies in Nigeria are born with HIV.
It is estimated that 360,000 children are living with HIV in the country, most of whom became infected from their mothers.
This has increased from 220,000 in 2007.
A number of small-scale studies have indicated towards a rise in HIV prevalence among injecting drug users.
Although HIV transmission through injecting drug use is not one of the main transmission routes, it appears to be accounting for an increasing number of new HIV infections.
References:
UNGASS (2010) - 'Country Progress Report - Nigeria' Egesie J. & Egesie E. (2011) - Seroprevalence of HIV Among Blood Donors in Jos - Nigeria' Nigeria Exchange (2008) - Ministry of Health alerts Nigerians to the transfusion of unsafe blood in hospitals.' UNAIDS (2010) - 'UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic.' The World Bank (2008) - West Africa HIV/AIDS Epidemiology and Response Synthesis.'
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I would be curious to know more about the 2010 behavioral surveillance group (quoted by the Daily Trust) who neglected to give the total picture of the HIV epidemic in Nigeria.