The Adamawa State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (ADSACA) has reported that the state recorded at least 8,850 new HIV infections between 2022 and 2025.
Abdullahi Adamu, director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the agency, disclosed this on Thursday in Yola at a media interactive session on the state’s HIV/AIDS response.
Adamu said the engagement was organised to strengthen collaboration with the media towards increasing public awareness of HIV prevention and behavioural change.
According to him, statistics show that from 2022 to date, new HIV infections have continued to rise annually across the state.
‘In 2022, we recorded over 2,700 new infections; in 2023, over 2,500; in 2024, 2,227; and from January to June 2025, we have already recorded 1,423 new infections,’ he said.
Adamu expressed concern over the continuous increase in new cases despite the availability of preventive measures, adding that the trend calls for urgent review of existing strategies.
‘We need to restrategise and adopt new approaches that will strengthen public awareness and promote preventive practices.
‘We have preventive options such as abstinence, consistent condom use, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), but many people are not taking them seriously.
‘However, people living with HIV who adhere strictly to their medication cannot transmit the virus to others and can live healthy and productive lives,’ he said.
The Director also said that no fewer than 40,000 persons living with HIV were currently receiving treatment in the state, with about 93 per cent achieving viral suppression.
He added that about 400 HIV-related deaths were recorded in 2024.
Adamu called on pregnant women to register for antenatal care, noting that prevention of mother-to-child transmission was critical to reducing new infections.
‘In 2024, about 509 pregnant women who registered for antenatal care, were enrolled on HIV treatment, out of which 180 were new infections.