Information from the Health Ministry indicates that about 1.6 million persons living with HIV in Nigeria are under treatment. Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire disclosed in Abuja at the dissemination of Survey Report on Nigeria People Living with HIV (PLHIV) Stigma Index 2.0 survey by Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN). Represented by an official of the ministry, Dr Akudo Ikpeazu ,the minister who said tremendous achievements have been achieved in the last five years of the fight against HIV, identified stigma and discrimination as major threats to the spread of the disease in the country. He however reiterated the commitment of the federal government to end the transmission of the disease by 2030. Earlier in his presentation, the Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, (NACA) Dr Gambo Aliyu, said that the fight against HIV could not be completely won without eradicating stigma and discrimination. He noted the progress made by the agency especially in the area of wider access to individuals living with HIV and bringing them closer for care and treatment. Meanwhile, for the National Coordinator, Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NEPWHAN), Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the essence of the dissemination survey was to unveil the elements that trigger stigma and discrimination in the public domain. The stigma index survey 2.0 Report is aimed at measuring the stigma and discrimination experiences of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Nigeria.
