NAIIS is an initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA). The NAIIS is a survey about HIV in Nigeria. NAIIS which is funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventive (CDC), and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (The Global Fund) will measure the burden of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

The goal of the survey is to examine the distribution of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in Nigeria, to assess the coverage and impact of HIV services on the population level, and to measure HIV-related risk behaviours using a nationally-representative sample of persons aged 0-64 years. The survey primary objective is to estimate the following in a household-based, nationally-representative sample of adults, age 15-64 years:

National HIV incidence (i.e., prevalence of recent HIV infection)

National and sub-national (State) prevalence of suppressed HIV viral load (VL) (Less 1000 copies/mL)

National and sub-national (State) HIV prevalence3

Why is NAIIS Important?

• Benefit all Nigerians
• Help us to know how many people in Nigeria have HIV and viral Hepatitis and need health services
• Provide participants the opportunity to get free HIV testing and counseling in the privacy of their own homes
• Improve the success of HIV treatment and other services
• Move Nigeria towards an HIV-free generation

NAIIS PROCESS

It was done through partnership work among all stakeholders such as Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) along with the National Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (NACA), State Ministry of Health, State AIDS Control Agency with support from the donor agencies and other HIV program implementing partners conducted NAIIS in all the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 88, 775 households throughout Nigeria were randomly selected for participation in the survey with the help of the National Population Commission NPopC). The survey included approximately 168,100 participants, ages 15-64 years and children, ages 0-14 years, from the selected household

NAIIS characterized HIV incidence, prevalence, viral load suppression, CD4 T-cell distribution, and risk behaviours in a household-based, nationally-representative sample of the population of Nigeria, and will describe uptake of key HIV prevention, care, and treatment services

The NAIIS also determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, and HBV/HIV and HCV/HIV co-infections

For a household to be included in the survey, the head of that household must provide written consent and asked to provide consent for interviewers, counseling and blood testing. Answers to survey questions and results of blood tests were kept confidential while pictures were not taken or voice recorded.

WORK DONE

In Ekiti State, I worked as a community mobilizer with 3 other people in the Ado-Ekiti community we recruited 13 community guides for each 13 Enumeration Areas (EA) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. We paid advocacy visits to Traditional Leaders, Religious Leaders, Community Leaders, Nigeria Police Force, Market Women, Okada riders, Drivers Union before we visited leaders of each community to educate them about NAIIS and buy them into the project.

As community mobilizer I called for partnership of traditional leaders, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Isla (JNI) leadership, community head, landlords and landladies and others at various levels to play a critical role in promoting the acceptance of NAIIS to inform members of the community on the dangers of HIV and importance to know their status, dangers of living with HIV without luring ife-saving treatment, cooperation among selected households to participate, benefits of NAIIS to help Nigeria government plan effective programs in the future.

During the survey in Ekiti State, in each EA 60 household were mobilized to prepare them for the survey while 28 households were randomly selected among the 60 household to participate in the survey.

RESULT

Ekiti State acceptance result was 90.23%, the new HIV result will be publish after the entire process

OBSERVATIONS

1: In Ado-Ekiti hotspot where drugs such as cannabis, marijuana, drug injection are being sold were not selected

2: People who inject Drug (PWID) should also be focus so as to prevent the spread of HIV

3: Key Population should were not included in the survey

4: It was observed that healthcare and HIV Testing Services has never been brought to some selected EA in the last 1 year

5: There were young people who are sexually active at tertiary institution, none of the tertiary institutions in Ado-Ekiti was selected to participate in the survey

RECOMMENDATIONS

Key populations such as People who use and inject drugs, female sex workers and others are to be involved in peer education, trained as counselor testers, behavioural change communication agents

Early childhood education about drugs, HIV/AIDS and STIs while its merit and demerits through effective education will also curb the spread of the virus

The survey must also focus on young people especially students in tertiary institutions