Rivers State Achieves Over 95% HIV Testing Acceptance Among Pregnant Women — IHVN Reports Progress

• The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has recorded a major milestone in the fight against HIV in Rivers State.

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has recorded a major milestone in the fight against HIV in Rivers State, achieving over 95% HIV testing acceptance among pregnant women through its Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) initiatives between 2020 and 2023.

IHVN Celebrates Major Milestone in HIV Prevention

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has announced remarkable progress in its Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) program in Rivers State, reaching over 95% HIV testing acceptance among pregnant women in the last three years.

This achievement, according to Dr. Stanley Idakwo, Project Director of the Rivers ASPIRE Project at IHVN, is the result of consistent community engagement, peer mentorship, and intensive counselling efforts across the state.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Idakwo revealed that data from the District Health Information System (DHIS) showed HIV testing among pregnant women had maintained a high range between 95% and 100% since 2020 — a success story driven by years of collaborative public health initiatives.

Strong Counselling and Peer Support Behind Success

Dr. Idakwo attributed the success to effective counselling, strong peer support networks, and the mentor mother model, which provides emotional guidance and helps pregnant women stay committed to treatment and follow-up care.

“About 98.6 per cent of clients also expressed satisfaction with PMTCT services,”
— Dr. Stanley Idakwo, IHVN Rivers ASPIRE Project Director

This high satisfaction rate reflects the trust and reliability that expectant mothers have developed toward the program and its health personnel.

Challenges: Distance, Cost, and Long Wait Times

Despite the remarkable progress, Idakwo acknowledged that some barriers still hinder universal access.
According to IHVN data:

• 31.7% of women cite distance to health facilities as a challenge.
• 20.1% mention transportation costs.
• 16.5% complain about long waiting times.

These factors, he explained, make it difficult for some expectant mothers — especially in rural and riverine areas — to consistently access antenatal and HIV care services.

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Strategies to Overcome Barriers

To address these challenges, IHVN and its partners are implementing several practical interventions:

• Task-sharing among healthcare workers to improve efficiency.
• Integration of PMTCT with broader maternal and child health programs.
• Better case management and client follow-up mechanisms.
• Improved staff attitudes and shorter waiting times, encouraging more women to attend antenatal care regularly.

“Improved staff attitude and shorter waiting times have encouraged more women to seek antenatal care, ensuring better access to HIV testing and follow-up treatment for both mothers and their babies,”
— Dr. Stanley Idakwo

Expanding Access and Strengthening Health Systems

While maternal and infant antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis has significantly reduced HIV transmission, IHVN notes that the uptake of follow-up services like facility-based deliveries and ARV use during labour still needs to improve.

To tackle this, IHVN is:

• Strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers through continuous training.
• Enhancing drug supply chains for uninterrupted ARV access.
• Empowering mentor mothers and midwives to jointly monitor pregnant women from antenatal visits through postnatal care.

IHVN is also working closely with the Rivers State Ministry of Health to expand PMTCT coverage and bring services closer to women in remote communities.

Partnerships Driving Change

With support from PEPFAR, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Global Fund, IHVN has trained over 400 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) across 319 wards, linking them to 115 healthcare facilities under a hub-and-spoke service delivery model.

This collaboration ensures that even women who prefer community births have safe access to HIV testing, counselling, and referral services.

Sustaining the Gains

Dr. Idakwo stressed that continuous training for counsellors, expansion of PMTCT to more primary healthcare centres, and improved safety for healthcare workers remain critical to maintaining these successes.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure no child in Rivers State is born with HIV. Every pregnant woman deserves quality, stigma-free healthcare regardless of her location or social status,”
— Dr. Stanley Idakwo

IHVN’s Rivers ASPIRE Project continues to strengthen community partnerships and drive Nigeria’s goal of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission through innovation, collaboration, and sustainable healthcare delivery.