Nigeria has recorded a 96 per cent viral load suppression rate among people living with HIV who are receiving treatment, surpassing the global target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) has said.

The Branch Chief, Continuum of Care and Treatment, US CDC Nigeria, Dr. Dennis Onotu, disclosed this in an interview in Abuja, describing the achievement as a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to control the spread of HIV.

According to him, data from Nigeria’s national data repository showed that as of June 2026, about 1.5 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy had undergone viral load testing within the previous 12 months, with 96 per cent achieving viral suppression.

He said the figure exceeds the UNAIDS target of 95 per cent for viral suppression among people receiving treatment.

“That is above the UNAIDS target of 95 per cent. But that is programme-related suppression. The 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets require increased testing, treatment adherence and regular viral load monitoring,” he said.

Despite the progress, Onotu stressed that more work remains to be done, particularly in identifying people living with HIV who are unaware of their status and ensuring they are linked to treatment.

He also called for greater attention to the remaining four per cent of patients on treatment who have not achieved viral suppression, saying health authorities should determine the factors responsible for the outcome.

“If people don’t know their HIV status, of course, they will not be on treatment and will not be suppressed,” he said.

The health expert explained that viral load suppression indicates that treatment is effective and the virus is under control, reducing the likelihood of transmission and improving patients’ quality of life.

He warned that individuals who fail to achieve viral suppression remain at risk of immune system damage, opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis and fungal diseases, as well as the development of drug-resistant strains of the virus.

Onotu added that the public health implications are equally significant, noting that people who are not virally suppressed can still transmit HIV through unprotected sexual contact, exposure to infected blood and from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

He urged sustained efforts to expand HIV testing, strengthen treatment adherence and ensure regular viral load monitoring to close the remaining gaps in Nigeria’s HIV response.