Health experts and development partners have raised serious concerns that thousands of children in Nigeria remain undiagnosed and untreated for HIV, despite ongoing efforts to curb the epidemic. The stakeholders voiced these concerns on Wednesday at the 2026 Paediatric Breakthrough Partnership Linking and Learning Meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, hosted by the Society for Family Health in collaboration with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, focused on improving outcomes for children living with HIV. Yusuf Dayyabu, representing the Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Family Health, stated that many children are still being missed, with too many infants not diagnosed early enough and opportunities to prevent transmission lost.
Data presented at the meeting indicated that since 2023, over 285,000 children, adolescents, and pregnant and breastfeeding women have been reached with HIV services, leading to the identification and enrollment of 2,879 individuals into care. However, national figures reveal that Nigeria still bears one of the highest burdens of paediatric HIV globally, with an estimated 260,000 children aged 0–14 living with the virus.
Currently, only about 45 per cent of HIV-positive children are receiving antiretroviral therapy, a coverage rate significantly lower than that for adults. Dr. Adebobola Bashorun, the National Coordinator of the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme, described paediatric HIV as both a public health and a moral concern. She noted that children are among the most vulnerable, having had no choice in their exposure to the virus.
While improvements in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission have been observed, Bashorun warned that major gaps persist across the care continuum. She highlighted that too many HIV-positive pregnant women are still not being reached, particularly in hard-to-reach communities, and too many HIV-exposed infants are lost to follow-up, with a substantial number of children remaining undiagnosed in the community.
Dr. Aisha Dadi, Country Lead of the Paediatric Breakthrough Partnership, explained that the initiative aims to close gaps in diagnosis and treatment through coordinated interventions. She noted that children are harder to identify as they depend entirely on adults, and many fall through the cracks of the health system. Targeted interventions, including engagement with traditional birth attendants and community actors, have reportedly improved treatment coverage to about 60–65 per cent in some areas.
Stakeholders also issued a warning regarding the sustainability of the response, citing an over-reliance on donor funding that is not matched by increased domestic investment. Dayyabu emphasized that the future of Nigeria's HIV response must increasingly be driven by domestic resources and government ownership, calling it a strategic imperative. He urged stakeholders to adopt practical strategies to improve early diagnosis and ensure no child is left behind.
Nigeria continues to record a significant number of new infections among children annually, largely attributed to gaps in prevention of mother-to-child transmission services. Globally, Nigeria accounts for one of the highest shares of new paediatric HIV infections, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions.
