The Adamawa State Agency for the Control of AIDS (ADSACA) has revealed that the state has recorded approximately 8,850 new HIV infections between 2022 and mid-2025. According to Mr. Abdullahi Adamu, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation at ADSACA, surveillance data show new cases numbering over 2,700 in 2022, more than 2,500 in 2023, around 2,227 in 2024, and 1,423 in just the first half of 2025.
Despite efforts to scale up testing and treatment, the upward trend of new infections has prompted concern among health officials. Adamu emphasised that even though preventive tools such as condoms, abstinence, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are available, they remain under-utilised in the state’s population.
The agency further indicated that over 40,000 people in Adamawa are currently receiving HIV treatment, and of those, about 93 per cent have achieved viral suppression, meaning the virus is undetectable and untransmittable. In 2024 alone, 400 HIV-related deaths were recorded in the state.
Pregnant women and mother-to-child transmission remain key areas of focus. In 2024, 509 pregnant women were enrolled for HIV treatment in antenatal care programmes, and 180 of them were new infections. ADSACA noted that lack of hospital delivery and antenatal registrations increase the risk that mothers unknowingly transmit the virus to their babies.
The data come at a time when donor-supported interventions face uncertainty, and stakeholders urge increased local ownership of HIV prevention strategies. Mr. John Tobias, North-East zonal coordinator for the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), described the 1,423 new cases in the first half of 2025 alone as “avoidable” and stressed the need for enhanced public awareness, robust testing and treatment coverage, and sustained community engagement.
The figures reflect both progress and challenges for Adamawa. On one hand, treatment coverage and viral suppression rates are encouraging. On the other hand, the persistent rate of new infections underscores the need for fresh strategies, including targeted outreach to key populations, improved access to prevention services, and stronger behaviour-change communication. The state government and its partners must intensify efforts if they hope to meet the global goal of ending new HIV infections by 2030.
