The Rivers State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to providing widespread Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and support as it dismissed a viral online report falsely claiming that the state has an 86% HIV prevalence rate.
In a statement released on Monday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, described the circulating figures as misleading, fabricated, and not issued by any authorised health agency.
It noted that the publication did not come from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and bears no resemblance to Nigeria’s recognised health data.
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According to the statement, the design, wording, and layout of the viral publication were inconsistent with standard government communication.
Official figures from the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) put Rivers State’s HIV prevalence at 3.6%, while routine testing across the state from January to October 2025 recorded a positivity rate of 2.87%.
The ministry emphasised that Rivers State currently operates 115 comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment centres across its 23 Local Government Areas, ensuring residents have access to testing, counselling, treatment, and follow-up care.
Members of the public were urged to disregard the misleading claims and rely on verified sources such as the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), the National AIDS and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), and official state ministry updates for accurate HIV information.
The government reiterated its dedication to fact-based health communication and continued efforts to protect the wellbeing of residents across the state.
