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Osun Marks 2025 World AIDS Day Aids

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Osun State has commemorated World AIDS Day 2025 with a series of impactful, community-driven activities aimed at renewing commitment, raising awareness, and strengthening action toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.

The event was themed, “Overcoming Disruptions; Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response.”

Partners and stakeholders across the state delivered coordinated interventions that touched every segment of the population.

The commemoration started with a vibrant road walk, featuring representatives from the TB, HIV, and Malaria programs, Network of people living with HIV( NEPWHAN), implementing partners, civil society groups, and community volunteers. Participants marched through major streets across Osun State, distributing educational materials and engaging residents on the importance of early testing, treatment adherence, and preventive practices.

The road walk served as a powerful symbolic action to amplify visibility, reinforce solidarity, and mobilize community participation in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

A major highlight of the event was the rollout of comprehensive Integrated Testing Services, bringing essential health screening directly to the communities. These services included:

Cutting-edge PDX diagnostic machines were deployed to conduct real-time screening for tuberculosis—particularly children and vulnerable groups. The use of these devices allowed for quicker identification of presumptive TB cases and immediate linkage to further evaluation.

Free, confidential HIV testing was offered to the general population, with special attention to pregnant women to strengthen the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) efforts. Trained counselors were available onsite to provide pre- and post-test counseling, ensuring individuals understood their results and next steps.

Rapid malaria testing was also conducted for adults and children, supporting early diagnosis and reducing risk of complications. This integration reflected the state’s commitment to a holistic approach to public health.

Throughout the activities, health educators and volunteers led awareness sessions addressing HIV prevention, stigma reduction, treatment adherence, benefits of knowing one’s status, and healthy lifestyle practices. These sensitization efforts targeted the general population, including youth, market women, transport unions, and rural communities. The interactive sessions helped demystify misconceptions around HIV, TB, and malaria, while encouraging individuals to take advantage of the free testing services available.

The commemoration was coordinated by the Osun State Agency for the control of HIV in collaboration, State Aids Control Programme ( SASCP), Osun State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (STBLCP), Osun State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) with implementing partners.

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Health

National Interventions Prevent 18 Million Cases Of Malaria Yearly – Minister

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3 weeks ago

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November 15, 2025

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About 18 million cases of malaria are being prevented every year in the country through intensified national interventions.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr Iziaq Salako, who disclosed this at the 2025 Nigeria Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR) in Abuja, said that the progress is a powerful demonstration of what sustained political commitment can achieve.

Salako observed that key gains have emerged from strategic investments, including the distribution of 63 million insecticide-treated nets between 2021 and 2023, which has led to nearly 70 per cent of households owning at least one net.

The minister noted that more than half of pregnant women now receive preventive malaria therapy, adding that this has contributed significantly to reductions in maternal and child deaths.

Citing findings from the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), Salako listed significant improvement in the nation’s health indices, including Maternal mortality declined from 576 to 512 deaths per 100,000 live births, under-five mortality fell from 132 to 110 deaths per 1,000 births, full immunization coverage increased to 39 per cent and skilled birth attendance rose to 53 per cent, among others.

He said, “These numbers tell the story of a health system that, despite immense pressure, continues to deliver life-saving progress.”

The minister, however, expressed concern over the country’s doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:5,000, compared to the WHO benchmark of 1:600.

Salako noted that government health spending remains low at 5.2 per cent of GDP, well below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target, while out-of-pocket payments stand at a high 71 per cent, pushing millions into poverty.

“These are formidable obstacles,” he admitted, warning that without bold reforms in financing and workforce development, progress could stall.

Salako highlighted several reforms under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal and Investment Initiative (NHSRII), including the recruitment of over 37,000 health workers since 2023, supported by a new Health Workforce Migration Policy to curb brain drain, and wider insurance coverage through the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), now reaching more than 20 million Nigerians.

The minister, however, expressed concern over the country’s doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:5,000, compared to the WHO benchmark of 1:600.

Salako noted that government health spending remains low at 5.2 per cent of GDP, well below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target, while out-of-pocket payments stand at a high 71 per cent, pushing millions into poverty.

“These are formidable obstacles,” he admitted, warning that without bold reforms in financing and workforce development, progress could stall.

Others are the expansion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), with fund absorption rising from 45 per cent in 2019 to 78 per cent in 2023; the Power for Health Initiative, aimed at providing reliable, green and hybrid energy to health facilities; and the strengthening of the Nigeria Digital Health Initiative (NDHI) to improve data quality, accountability, and service delivery.

The minister emphasized the need to accelerate efforts to meet the health needs of Nigeria’s 230 million citizens through unified action across all levels of government, partners, and communities.

 

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