World AIDS Day: YEDI Provides Medical Outreach To 500 Lagos Residents

At least 500 residents of the Abete community in Yaba, Lagos State, have received free medical services through an outreach organised by the Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative to commemorate the 2025 World AIDS Day.

The annual programme, held in partnership with Grassroot Soccer and supported by the FIFA Foundation, offered community members an opportunity to know their HIV status.

The outreach, conducted at the Abete Playing Ground, provided free HIV testing, counselling and referrals. The initiative aimed to bridge gaps in testing while increasing local awareness of HIV prevention, treatment and stigma reduction.

With the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the HIV Response,” the event also featured a football tournament, along with free malaria and hepatitis B screening and the distribution of medications.

World AIDS Day, marked every December 1, is dedicated to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS, promoting global solidarity and assessing progress toward ending the epidemic. It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for access to treatment and support services.

Speaking at the event, YEDI’s Executive Director, Adeoye Oluwatomisin, stressed the importance of early testing in achieving the global HIV 95-95-95 targets by 2030.

The UNAIDS 95-95-95 goals aim for 95 per cent of individuals living with HIV to know their status, 95 per cent of diagnosed individuals to be on sustained treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression by 2030.

Oluwatomisin explained that the Abete community was chosen due to its high population density and increased risk factors for HIV infection. She noted that although prevalence rates are gradually dropping, new infections remain a major concern.

She added, “Living with HIV is not a death sentence. People must be encouraged to know their status and understand the importance of reducing stigma.”

Despite global reductions in funding, Oluwatomisin reaffirmed YEDI’s commitment to providing HIV-related interventions nationwide. She urged partners and donors to remain consistent in supporting Nigeria’s journey toward meeting the 2030 targets.

“Our goal in Abete is to reach at least 500 people, and nationally, we aim to reach over one million Nigerians with messages on HIV screening, prevention and treatment. Beyond HIV testing, we are also conducting malaria and hepatitis B screenings, and anyone who tests positive is referred for appropriate care,” she said.

According to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Nigeria recorded an estimated 1,400 new HIV infections each week and about 50,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2023, underscoring the need to strengthen prevention and treatment efforts.

Medical experts note that HIV is primarily transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse or the sharing of needles and other injection equipment.

A doctor at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Adeola Obasanya, emphasized the importance of knowing one’s HIV status, explaining that testing is the only reliable method of detection and that early treatment enables individuals to live healthy lives while preventing further transmission.

Some beneficiaries at the outreach praised YEDI for providing free health screenings and vital health information.