By Bola Badmus

Copyright tribuneonlineng

Lagos State Government has announced plans to commence an Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Impact Survey targeting more than 11,000 residents across 20 council areas of the state.

The survey, according to officials, is being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health through the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme, as well as international partners, including the APIN-PHIS3 Project, PEPFAR, US CDC, NACA, and other stakeholders.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Segun Ogboye, made this known on Wednesday at a news conference, which was held in Ikeja, saying that the exercise would begin in October and run until December.

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According to him, the survey, which will cover 205 Enumeration Areas, 6,150 households, and approximately 11,397 participants across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State, seeks to estimate HIV treatment coverage and viral load suppression among adults aged 15–64 years.

He urged communities, security agencies, and field workers to collaborate to make the exercise.

“This is an impact survey that will assess HIV prevalence, treatment coverage, and viral load suppression among adults in Lagos.

“We count on the cooperation of communities, security agencies, and field workers to make it successful,” he said.

The permanent secretary, while calling on field workers to handle their tasks diligently, noted that the results generated by them at the end of the day would shape national health planning, adding: “The success of this survey depends on every one of us.”

Speaking further, Ogboye pointed out that the objective of the survey was to strengthen evidence-based planning for HIV response in Lagos, assuring residents of strict confidentiality, even as he urged them to cooperate with field officers when approached.

“The government is committed to using this survey to improve interventions. Residents are encouraged to participate with the assurance that their privacy will be protected,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director of Disease Control, Dr. Victoria Egunjobi, underscored the importance of community trust and participation.

She cautioned against stigmatization, stressing that people living with HIV deserved dignity, respect, and universal access to healthcare.

The Director, Research Monitoring and Evaluation at NACA, Mr. Francis Agbo, in his own remark, said the survey provided an opportunity to track progress towards HIV epidemic control in Lagos.

He recalled that a similar exercise had just been concluded in Akwa Ibom, saying that it was the turn of Lagos to have its own, just as he expressed the belief that “the indicators will help us plan for the future.”

“We have just concluded a similar exercise in Akwa Ibom, and Lagos is the next frontier. The indicators will help us plan for the future,” Agbo said.