NACA tasks journalists with accurate HIV PrEP reporting

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has called for stronger media engagement in Nigeria’s HIV prevention response, urging journalists to provide accurate, evidence-based information on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and emerging prevention options.

The agency said the call was particularly important as Nigeria implements its National Strategic Plan 2026–2030, which places emphasis on sustainability, innovation, stronger partnerships, and greater community engagement.

The Director-General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, made the call on Monday at a training for journalists on HIV PrEP.

Ilori, who was represented by the agency’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Mrs Toyin Aderibigbe, said the media had an important role in translating Nigeria’s HIV prevention priorities into information that Nigerians could understand and use.

She said Nigeria had made progress in HIV testing, treatment, and care, but prevention remained central to the national response.

According to her, PrEP is an effective HIV prevention option for people who are HIV-negative and may be at risk of acquiring HIV.

She, however, stressed that access to PrEP must be accompanied by accurate information on available prevention options, how they work, and where services can be obtained.

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“People must also have access to the right information, understand their prevention options, know where services are available, and feel confident seeking those services,” she said.

Ilori urged journalists to report PrEP and HIV prevention “accurately, responsibly, respectfully, and without stigma,” warning that inaccurate or sensational reporting could create fear, reinforce stigma, and discourage people from accessing HIV prevention services.

She said journalists should help Nigerians understand key issues around PrEP, including who can use it, how it works, available options, and where services can be accessed.

The NACA chief said the training was designed to equip media professionals to identify misinformation, challenge myths, and translate technical health information into clear, evidence-based stories for television, radio, newspapers, and digital platforms.

She also highlighted the growing role of digital platforms in health communication, particularly among young people, urging journalists to ensure that credible HIV prevention information reaches Nigerians where they increasingly seek information.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN), Dr Patrick Dakum, also called for accurate media reporting as Nigeria begins implementing activities around Lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV prevention option also known as LEN PrEP.

Dakum, who was represented by the Senior Programme Manager, Prevention, Comfort Ochigbo, said IHVN was implementing activities under the Global Fund Grant Cycle 7 to support the pilot programme and ensure that accurate information was provided to the public.

He said effective communication would be critical to preventing misconceptions and ensuring that communities were adequately informed as access to the intervention is expanded.

According to him, eight states were implementing activities under the grant, with efforts focused on creating demand for HIV prevention services and ensuring that information reaching communities was accurate and free from misconceptions.

The National Coordinator of the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STI Control Programme (NASCP), Dr Adebobola Bashorun, also described lenacapavir as a new HIV prevention option as Nigeria moves to expand access to HIV prevention interventions.

In a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by the programme’s Focal Person, Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation Unit, Mrs Uchechi Nzenwata, Bashorun said collaboration between health institutions and the media was essential to effective HIV prevention communication.

He expressed optimism that the training would strengthen journalists’ understanding of emerging HIV prevention options and improve public communication about HIV prevention.

The training brought together journalists, health officials, implementing partners, and other stakeholders involved in Nigeria’s HIV prevention response.