By Emmanuel Kwada
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria has issued a stern warning to the public regarding a fabricated graphic circulating on social media, falsely claiming that the HIV prevalence in Port Harcourt has surged to an alarming 86%. The ministry, in a statement released earlier today, labeled the report as entirely baseless and urged citizens to disregard the misinformation.
The misleading post, which included alarming statistics such as 86% of the population in Port Harcourt being affected, with 25% of those aged 16 to 25 years impacted, and figures of over 180,000 females and 456,000 males infected, was quickly identified as a hoax.
The graphic also contained a public safety warning, advising residents to “be careful and use protection,” but lacked any credible source or official backing.
In a follow-up clarification, the ministry emphasized that no state in Nigeria, including Rivers State where Port Harcourt is located, has an HIV prevalence rate anywhere near the claimed 86%. Official data, supported by the National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), indicates that the national HIV prevalence stands at approximately 1.4% among adults aged 15–49 years, with regional variations. The ministry highlighted that the highest state-level prevalence rates remain well below 2.8%, as per recent epidemiological surveys.
“This is a deliberate attempt to spread panic and misinformation,” the ministry stated. “We urge the public to rely solely on verified information from official channels such as NASCP, NACA, and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.”
The ministry also called on citizens to refrain from sharing unverified health content to prevent further confusion and potential harm to public health efforts.
The fake report’s emergence comes at a time when Nigeria continues to address its HIV epidemic, which affects approximately 1.9 million people nationwide, according to the latest data.
While significant progress has been made in reducing prevalence from a peak of 2.8%, challenges such as funding and access to treatment persist. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to evidence-based health policies and urged collaboration with international partners like WHO and UNAIDS to combat the spread of both the virus and misinformation.
Authorities are investigating the origin of the false graphic, and the public has been encouraged to report similar content to official health bodies.
