Why HIV programme data systems matter to Nigeria, by expert 

Data and data systems are central to Nigeria’s HIV response, shaping how the disease is understood, how patients are treated and how resources are deployed, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) has said.

Speaking during a data systems engagement at the U.S. Embassy, Dr. Ibrahim Dalhatu, Deputy Director for Epidemiology and Strategic Information at the USCDC, said effective HIV programming is impossible without reliable, timely, and well-managed data.

According to him, public health data serves two critical purposes: understanding the disease itself and assessing how programmes designed to address it are performing.

“For HIV, data helps us know where the disease is occurring, who it is affecting, when cases are being identified and how the epidemic is changing over time.

“Without data, you cannot properly characterise the disease or plan effective interventions,” Dalhatu emphasised.

He explained that beyond tracking infections, data is required to follow patients across the HIV treatment cascade, from diagnosis to treatment initiation, retention in care and viral suppression.

He said: “HIV is a lifelong condition. Once a person is infected, the health system must follow them through different stages of care.

“Data allows us to know how many people have been diagnosed, how many are on treatment, how many remain in care and how many have achieved viral suppression.”

Dalhatu said these milestones form the basis of global HIV performance targets, including the 95-95-95 goals, which aim to ensure that most people living with HIV know their status, are on treatment and have suppressed viral loads.

He added that data also plays a direct role in patient care, enabling health workers to monitor clinical indicators over time and tailor treatment to individual needs.

“Only through data can you track whether a patient’s health is improving or deteriorating, and whether additional support is needed,” he said.

Dalhatu noted that Nigeria’s HIV programme has become one of the strongest data-driven public health programmes in the country, producing skilled data professionals whose expertise now supports responses to other diseases, including tuberculosis and malaria.

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