Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, NACA, Sani Aliyu has said that the development of HIV vaccine is realisable.

He disclosed this on Thursday at the 20th anniversary of the yearly HIV Vaccine Advocacy Day saying that:

“At the first HIV Vaccine Advocacy Day in 1997, our focus was to mobilise stakeholder support for the development of an HIV vaccine, this being an important first step towards ending the HIV epidemic.

“Twenty years down the line, we still do not have an HIV vaccine but we are optimistic.’’

Aliyu explained that government is concerned about vaccine development as NACA is committed to making more HIV/AIDS treatment options available to people living with the virus.

Nigeria has the second highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world after South Africa.