An estimated 3.8 million Nigerians are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, making the West African country one of the hardest hit in the world, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo said on Friday.

“I am very unhappy to report that as of today, Nigeria is still one of the countries worst affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world, next to South Africa and India, in terms of the number of people living with HIV/AIDS,” Lambo said.

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, fell to 5.0 percent of the population in 2003 from 5.8 percent in 2001, he said.

But Lambo said the lower rate should not be interpreted as a sign that the virus was on the retreat, as he presented results of a biannual survey to government. “It should not be seen as a decline or even a stabilization of the epidemic,” Lambo said, adding that the change was not statistically significant.

He said in 2003 alone, there were more than 300,000 AIDS cases and about 80,000 newborn babies infected with the virus.

“The high medical, emotional and social costs on people living with HIV/AIDS cannot be adequately quantified,” he said.

The survey showed that about 3.8 million Nigerians are infected with HIV, while 2.3 million people have already died from AIDS.

Lambo said the rate had risen steadily since 1991 when testing began and it stood at 1.8 percent. The West African country is characterized by having several epidemics of the disease all spreading at different rates, he added.

Southwestern Nigeria has the lowest rate of 2.3 percent, while the north-central zone is highest at 7.0 percent.

Young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 have the highest prevalence rate of any age group, the survey showed, which Lambo said would hinder economic growth of the oil exporting country.