Dr Piot was meeting with journalists during a four-day visit to the West African nation. Nigeria's epidemic is less acute than that of some other African countries. A Nigeria with a higher prevalence is something neither Nigeria nor the rest of Africa can afford. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the epidemic continues to impact seriously on all aspects of society. AIDS has cut back life expectancy rates which in some African countries are reverting to 1960s levels.
Health systems are under severe strain.
In the private sector, absenteeism and recruitment costs are rising. Worldwide, 33.6 million people are now living with HIV or AIDS, 23.3 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Just last year, 2.6 million people died of AIDS, the highest death rate in any single year since the start of the epidemic. In recent years we have accumulated much knowledge about what works and what does not. By combining that knowledge with the growing political commitment we are witnessing at all levels, we have a every reason to believe that we will succeed in reversing this epidemic.