Rapid Scale-up of an Antiretroviral Therapy Program Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Nine States, Nigeria, March 31,2019-September 30, 2020

What is already known about this topic? In 2018, an estimated 1.8 million persons living in Nigeria had HIV infection. Through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC launched an 18-month antiretroviral therapy (ART) Surge program in nine Nigerian states in April 2019, including implementation of incident command structures to manage operations. What is added by this report? The weekly number of persons with newly identified HIV infection who initiated ART increased approximately eightfold, from May 4, 2019, to September 26, 2020. Compared with March 2019, a total of 208,202 more persons were receiving PEPFAR-supported ART in September 2020. What are the implications for public health practice? Comprehensive, data-guided, locally adapted interventions and use of incident command structures can increase the number of persons with HIV infection who receive ART, reducing mortality and decreasing HIV transmission. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.