An NGO in Kano says stigma, denial and economic hardship are driving new HIV infections, urging stronger testing, disclosure and prevention efforts for adolescents.
Kano State is facing a renewed HIV challenge, with an NGO warning that social stigma and worsening economic pressures are helping new infections slip through prevention systems.
A programme director at Support for Women and Teenage Children, Dr Farida Abdulmalik, said stigma remains a “major barrier” to people getting tested and staying in treatment.. She described how fear of community judgement — or even fear of families discovering someone’s status — can keep individuals from seeking care.. Others, she added, stigmatise themselves and withdraw from social life, which reduces the chances of early diagnosis.
Abdulmalik also pointed to denial of HIV status as a factor behind preventable illness and deaths.. She said her team has seen cases where pregnant women refused to accept their status, which can lead to transmission to their children.. Another concern, she said, involves the way some families handle disclosure for children born with HIV.. In these situations, she warned, children may take medication without understanding why — a situation that can become more dangerous as they reach adolescence.
Recent sensitisation campaigns have offered some positive momentum, Abdulmalik said, noting that residents appear more willing to test than before.. However, she cautioned that willingness to test does not automatically solve the deeper social obstacles that keep people from acting on results or supporting others through treatment.. “We can manage the existing cases effectively, but prevention of new infections must remain a top priority,” she said.
Her remarks come alongside figures she described for the first quarter of 2026, when Kano recorded more than 800 new infections between January and March.. While the number is described as worrisome, she framed it as a problem that can still be addressed through consistent treatment and sustained interventions — especially if prevention efforts are treated as urgent rather than routine.
The NGO director said sexually active adolescents and young people are among the most vulnerable groups.. She linked the pattern to economic hardship, describing how some teenagers may take risks to survive, including transactional sex.. In her assessment, these realities often play out in informal spaces, including hotels and other settings where young girls can be exposed to infection.. The message was direct: when poverty pushes people toward unsafe choices, HIV prevention becomes harder to deliver.
Behind the statistics, the human impact can be felt in everyday decisions — whether someone chooses to test, whether a family discloses a child’s situation, and whether a teenager feels able to stay engaged with healthcare rather than hide.. Stigma tends to isolate people at the very moment they need community support and follow-up.. Denial can delay care, while weak disclosure practices can leave young patients unprepared for the psychological and physical changes that come with adolescence.
There is also a broader systems question in Abdulmalik’s warning.. Services may exist, but they only work when people trust them and when communities help overcome fear.. She said HIV testing and treatment are available across primary healthcare centres in Kano, with free antiretroviral drugs and trained case managers to support patients.. She commended the Kano State Government for providing free treatment and for strengthening response efforts.
Going forward, the NGO called for a state-specific HIV/AIDS policy, deeper community engagement through religious leaders, improved disclosure practices, and expanded awareness campaigns.. The emphasis on disclosure is not just about family communication; it is also about helping patients — especially children approaching adolescence — understand their health and stay consistent with medication.. The broader call was simple: everyone should know their HIV/AIDS status, and people should stop treating HIV as a death sentence.
Abdulmalik’s overall message is that fighting new infections will require more than clinical availability.. It will demand social change: reducing stigma, discouraging harmful secrecy, and addressing the economic conditions that place young people at risk.. If Kano can translate sensitisation gains into sustained prevention and stronger community support, the state may reduce the pipeline of new infections before they become harder to reverse.