Fact Check: Official Data Contradicts HIV Claim by Local Newspaper

Claim: Alarming: 1.1 million Sierra Leoneans are living with HIV.

Verdict: FALSE

Context: On February 13, 2025, The Spectator Newspaper, a local Sierra Leonean tabloid, published a headline stating that an “Alarming 1.1 Million Sierra Leoneans [are] Living with HIV.” This claim surfaces just two months after the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) released official figures on World AIDS Day, raising concerns over misinformation regarding the country’s HIV/AIDS statistics.

Evidence: On December 1, 2024, during World AIDS Day, Sierra Check contacted the National AIDS Secretariat to verify the actual HIV prevalence rate. Mohamed K. Sandi, the official responsible for Monitoring & Evaluation Surveillance at NAS, provided the latest official data, which estimated the number of people living with HIV in Sierra Leone at approximately 77,000.

To further validate the figures, Sierra Check contacted the Director General of NAS, Abdul Rahman Chernoh Sessay, on February 13, 2025. He confirmed that the exact number of individuals living with HIV in Sierra Leone stands at 77,247, far below the 1.1 million figure reported by The Spectator Newspaper.

Conclusion: The claim that 1.1 million Sierra Leoneans are living with HIV is false. Official data from the National AIDS Secretariat confirms that the actual number is 77,247.

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