Nigeria recorded significant progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in 2025, with paediatric antiretroviral treatment coverage rising to 77 per cent, according to the State of the Nation Health Report 2025.

The report was produced in line with the National Health Act (2014).

The report said the increase represented a major improvement from the 29 per cent recorded in 2023, driven by intensified case finding, improved linkage to care and treatment optimisation.

It added that the number of children living with HIV declined from about 100,000 to 67,000 within one year, while new paediatric HIV infections dropped by 50 per cent, from approximately 14,000 to about 7,000.

According to the report, the progress was achieved under the National HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare as part of Nigeria’s efforts toward the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis.

It stated that prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes remained the backbone of the strategy, integrating screening, treatment and follow-up for pregnant women during antenatal, delivery and postnatal care.

The report noted that screening services expanded significantly in 2025.

It said HIV testing among pregnant women increased from 2.8 million in 2023 to more than 5.7 million by November 2025, while syphilis testing rose from 3.7 million in 2024 to about 4.9 million in 2025.

Hepatitis B screening among pregnant women also increased from about 839,514 to 1.3 million within the same period, reflecting stronger integration of maternal health services.

The report also highlighted improvements in laboratory systems, noting that the turnaround time for early infant HIV diagnosis was reduced from 20 to 80 days to less than seven days following laboratory upgrades.

It said that the use of point-of-care testing at some facilities now enables same-day results, helping reduce loss to follow-up and speed up treatment for infants.

According to the report, digital health tools also contributed to the progress, including the introduction of the Mother–Infant Pair Management Information System to track maternal and infant outcomes.

However, the report noted that challenges persisted, including human resource shortages, financing gaps, and limited awareness of viral hepatitis services in some areas.

It said Nigeria planned to consolidate the gains in 2026 by strengthening integrated services, improving data systems, expanding prevention programmes and addressing workforce and funding gaps.

The State of Health of the Nation Report provides an annual assessment of Nigeria’s health sector performance, highlighting progress, challenges and priority actions across key health programmes and services nationwide.

(NAN)