Abuja: Community health volunteers in Nigeria played a vital role in keeping thousands of people living with hiv on treatment after a sharp reduction in United States funding disrupted the country’s health system.
The funding cuts, introduced in early 2025, had an immediate impact on Nigeria’s hiv response, which has long depended heavily on American support. Clinics across several regions faced shortages of antiretroviral drugs, while some treatment centres were forced to suspend services temporarily.
As access to medicines became uncertain, many patients stopped their treatment. Some were unable to reach clinics, while others turned to misinformation and believed they no longer needed medication.
In response, local volunteers moved from house to house to find patients who had dropped out of care. They encouraged them to restart treatment and helped reconnect them with health facilities. In Benue State alone, more than one thousand people were traced and brought back into the treatment system, including children.
Despite the disruption, Nigeria managed to stabilise its hiv programme over time. Health officials said that although about two hundred thousand people initially stopped treatment, the number of patients receiving care rose to around 1.7 million by the end of 2025, slightly higher than the previous year.
The government introduced an emergency funding package of about 200 million dollars to support essential health services. At the same time, the United States allowed limited support for life saving programmes to continue, helping restore supplies of critical medicines.
However, experts say the crisis has left lasting gaps, especially in prevention efforts. Testing services were disrupted, access to preventive medicines declined, and distribution of protection materials dropped significantly. Health workers warn that these setbacks could lead to a rise in new infections if not addressed quickly.
The situation has also exposed the risks of relying heavily on foreign aid. Authorities are now working to strengthen local systems by investing in domestic funding, expanding local production of medicines, and involving more community and faith based organisations.
A new health partnership between Nigeria and the United States, valued at more than five billion dollars and running until 2030, aims to support treatment programmes while gradually shifting responsibility to local institutions.
Health experts say the experience has shown the importance of community networks in times of crisis. While emergency measures helped prevent a wider collapse, they warn that stable and long term investment will be essential to sustain progress in the fight against HIV .