Rivers State Surge Project

The National HIV/AIDS Indicator Impact Survey (NAIIS) released in March 2019 pegged the HIV prevalence rate in Rivers state at 3.8%, above the national prevalence of 1.4%. The survey reported that Rivers State has an estimated 210,082 persons living with HIV with only about 40,314 (21%) on life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART).

Therefore, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) engaged IHVN in April 2019 to close these gaps. The project is currently being implemented in 117 health facilities across the twenty-three LGAs of the state, with emphasis on the seven focus LGAs having the highest prevalence rates.

A robust stakeholder engagement is one of the strategies adopted by the project to encourage ownership and sustainability. We are collaborating with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH/SASCP), State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), Hospitals Management Board (HMB), Primary Health Care Management Board (PHCMB), Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), a consortium of private organizations and professional bodies and other non-governmental and community-based organizations.

To ensure the pillars of 95-95-95; active case finding, linkage to Anti-Retroviral Therapy, retention in care and viral suppression, both facility and community structures are being utilized. Government-supported healthcare workers and IHVN staff are embedded within the facilities and communities to supervise targeted community testing, provide technical support and carry out hands-on mentoring.