Stigma and weak domestic funding are doing more to undermine Nigeria’s HIV response than any lack of medical tools, a public health physician has said.
Dr. Victor Nelson, a Resident Doctor in Community Medicine at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, made this assertion in an interview with Ashenews in commemoration of World AIDS Vaccine Day on Monday.
Ashenews reports that the day is celebrated annually on May 18 to highlight the urgent, ongoing need for a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
Nelson explained that new infections are rising fastest in the South-South region, particularly in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states. He also noted that Anambra in the South-East has been flagged, while Benue State remains heavily affected overall.
“These reports are concerning, but much of the data still requires validation before firm conclusions can be drawn,” Nelson said.
He added that while preventive efforts have improved through local innovation and international support, worsening insecurity is creating new pockets of vulnerability.
The community physician emphasized that the rise in internally displaced persons (IDPs) has disproportionately affected women, children, and adolescents in IDP camps, refugee settlements, and urban slums.
“In these settings, these vulnerable groups face heightened risks of transactional sex and sexual violence for survival.
Greater targeted interventions are urgently needed,” he stated.
Nelson’s most urgent warning focused on stigma.
While working as a Community Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Consultant in Anambra, he observed that parents often rejected adolescent daughters diagnosed with HIV, assuming promiscuity even when the infection resulted from rape.
“Some adolescents died from starvation after being rejected by their families, while others suffered severe mental health crises.
Although the organization had protection mechanisms in place, we couldn’t always intervene in all cases,” he said.
He warned that if an HIV vaccine becomes available, religious and cultural resistance will be the biggest obstacles to uptake, ahead of cost and logistics.
“We saw similar vaccine hesitancy during COVID-19, even among educated people,” he noted.
He also cited pushback against methadone-assisted treatment for opioid users, despite clear evidence of its benefits.
To combat this, Nelson called for a sustained, well-funded awareness campaign led by trusted voices.
“We must proactively address misinformation, especially fears about DNA alteration, cancer, infertility, or religious concerns like ‘inability to go to heaven.’
Building trust through community leaders, religious institutions, and transparent communication will be critical for high uptake,” he emphasized.
Nelson stated that the most crucial policy change would be a legally backed minimum budget allocation for HIV prevention, testing, and treatment.
“Nigeria has many good policies on paper, but implementation remains weak.
The country still relies heavily on foreign aid, which has proven increasingly unreliable; stronger accountability mechanisms would dramatically improve sustainability and impact,” he said.
He concluded with the story of a 13-year-old orphan with Advanced HIV Disease (AHD), who was found abandoned and starving in a southeastern state weeks ago.
“Public sympathy, after a Good Samaritan shared her case, led to support from the state government.
HIV is not always a result of ‘careless sex’; many people living with the virus, including children and adolescents, are infected through rape, mother-to-child transmission, or unsafe blood transfusions.
Whenever you meet someone living with HIV, offer compassion instead of judgment.
Encourage, support, and help link them to the nearest hospital for medical and other care.
A little kindness can save lives,” the community physician affirmed.
