In a recent study conducted by the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research in collaboration with Washington University and the University of North Carolina, it has been revealed that the HIV testing rate among young Nigerians has experienced a remarkable increase from 7 percent to 80 percent within a span of two years, thanks to the use of HIV self-testing kits.
The research, known as the Innovative Tools to Expand HIV Self Testing, was initiated in 2018 with funding from the National Institute of Health. It aimed to explore the surge in HIV self-testing uptake among Nigerians, particularly the youth.
Professor Oliver Ezechi, the Director of Research at NIMR and the principal investigator of the study, shared these findings during the Close-Out celebration of the 4 Youth By Youth initiative in Lagos.
Professor Ezechi expressed concern over the prevalence of HIV among the youth population, emphasizing the potential risk to Nigeria’s future, given the lack of control over more than 65 million youths.
He highlighted that the study’s inception involved a crowd-sourcing contest where young Nigerians voiced a preference for HIV self-testing, enabling them to test in the privacy of their homes.
“We’re also happy to mention that now the HIV self-testing is in the guideline of the country and then become part of the national guideline. When we started, it was not in the guidelines. It is now in all pharmacies and chemists, you see HIV self-testing everywhere.
“At a point in time when we started, it was only one test available in the country and it was as expensive as N15,000. Now, you can get kits as low as between N1, 500 to N2, 000. So that’s what this project has done.”
He said the study highlights the importance of HIV testing, as people prioritise positive outcomes over negatives. “It’s crucial to maintain positive results and link those with treatment. Nigeria’s efforts focus on controlling adults, but new infections are arising in young people due to risk-taking behaviours.
“In this study, we found out that more than 20 per cent of the young people who enrolled have used one drug or the other. So if we see these as the drivers, when a young person is using drugs, it’s likely to impact safe sex. So this is a potential for HIV transmission. So this is the population that we need to focus on,” Ezechi said.
While celebrating the success of the increased testing rates, the study also uncovered concerning statistics about drug use among young Nigerians, with 20 percent having used drugs at some point in their lives.
