PREVALENCE OF HIV AMONG STUDENTS OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NASARAWA

PREVALENCE OF HIV AMONG STUDENTS OF FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC  NASARAWA

ABSTRACT

As part of the  mixed methods to assess HIV risk among students of federal polytechnic Nasarawa, a Rapid Diagnostic Test was conducted to ascertain the frequency of HIV among students of federal polytechnic Nasarawa. The Rapid Diagnostic Test involved drawing 40 micro liter of blood the participants and analysis took about 3-5minutes to record the results. A total of 150 students volunteered anonymously to be tested for HIV infection in august 2014. Of these, 82 were males and 68 were females. Their ages ranged below 20 to above 30 (mean age of 10 years old). All of these students were studying at federal polytechnic Nasarawa. Test rest recorded of HIV infection among the students. Because HIV infection can sometimes remain undetected, these results do not necessarily confirm that students are at low risk of infection Nasarawa. Due to the fact that HIV carries a significant burden of disease campus repeated survey should be carried out regularly to monitor and protect the infection among students. In addition, increased awareness of HIV risk should be intensified to prevent its emergence and spread among these population.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0            INTRODUCTION

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is recognized as the final stage of a viral infection caused by Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV); therefore AIDS is indicative of an underlying cellular immune deficiency.   It was first detected among homosexuals and drug users in the USA in 1981 (Baily et al., 2008). Since then the disease has now spread to all corners of the world. Two strains of HIV are recognized by medical experts: HIV-1 (discovered in 1983) and HIV-2 (discovered in 1986). HIV-1 is generally accepted as the cause of most AIDS cases throughout the world while HIV-2 was first discovered in West Africa and later in some Portuguese colonies and Europe and account for the infection in West Africa (Avert, 2007). With the world becoming a global village and the general mobility of people around the globe the strains can no longer be geographically delineated.

The origin of HIV/AIDS has been controversial as the claim that linked AIDS with the development of polio vaccine from chimp kidney in the Congo ( Hein and Hurst., 2007) has been debunked. The rebuttal was further confirmed from laboratory investigation published in Washington Post.

The progression from infection with HIV to AIDS takes approximately 10 years, although drug intervention (antiretroviral) that aims at blocking the progression of HIV to AIDS has been successful in slowing down the progression and ultimately prolonging the life of infected persons.  However, once AIDS is diagnosed a person usually dies within a year or two thereafter. Infants generally die more rapidly (Hossain et al., 2006). Since there is no cure in sight, for now, most people infected with HIV ultimately progress to AIDS and eventually die. HIV/AIDS has turned out to be the greatest challenge facing the world today and remains a profound human tragedy and the most devastating pandemic in human history.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

HIV/AIDS pandemic appears to be devastating every sector of African  society and structure.

The epicentre of the pandemic is located at men and women within the age bracket of 15-49 years, which incidentally constitute the most productive years of any person. The problem of the pandemic is exacerbated by the ravaging poverty and virtual collapse of social services (Holmes et al., 2004).

Multiple factors have been identified to contribute to the rapid amplification of HIV infections in Africa, particularly Southern Africa, which houses over 30% of people infected by the virus in the world. These include (1) the protracted period that HIV has been in Africa, (2) poverty, which tends to fan the spread, (3) poor health facilities, (4) epidemic of other STIs, (5) inadequate access to condoms (and supply of defective condoms) or inconsistent use of condoms by those involved in risky sexual practice, and (6) sexual networking, including concurrent and inter-generational sexual relationships. Decades of attention on condom use and counselling and testing has not produced any measurable success in Africa (Chen et al., 2007). Recently UNAIDS and her sister organizations came up to identify lack of male circumcision, the practice of concurrent sexual relationship and inconsistent

condom use as the major drivers of the pandemic in Africa. These new findings then call for a need to develop new strategies to stem the spread of the virus in Africa. In the absence of a cure or a vaccine, prevention remains the cheaper option. It calls for a change of sexual behaviour among Africans. This is not an easy proposition, particularly for adults who have formed their sex habits. However, prevention intervention targeting the entire society, not just the youths, is an urgent proposition to avoid a total mortgage of the African future (Asekun and Oladele, 2009).

Government/NGO publicity are known to be concentrated in the cities and may not have reached rural settlements in many parts of Africa because of the limited access to radio and television, the main organs of publicity. Most of the vulnerable groups, except probably the city dwellers, may not have benefited from the enlightenment program of Government.

The wide publicity given to the use of condom has compromised traditional and religious values of promoting ‘no sex before marriage’ (i.e. virginity), ‘chastity in marriage’, and the role of the community and religious formations in the moral upbringing of the youths. Consequently the need for a fundamental change in our attitude to sex has been compromised. Governments that bought hook-line-and-sinker into promoting the use of condom as the main preventive strategy have been proved wrong. The press that has presented abstinence as an impossible proposition has also not helped matters either. The pre-eminent premium placed on the use of

Condoms, therefore, appears misplaced and misleading. The current thinking that circumcision and minimization of concurrent relationships are keys to stemming the spread of HIV in Africa, while still promoting abstinence, faithfulness, and consistent and correct use of condom appears to be the way to go. There are critical moral issues and traditional African values, which are on trial with the over-concentration of efforts on the use of condoms to the detriment of restoring traditional/religious values of preservation of the chastity of the African youths (Cambell et al., 2010).

1.2     JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

This study will contribute to healthy living by giving orientation to students studying in the Federal Polytechnics Nasarawa. It will help to proffer solutions to the problems associated with the mode of transmission, clinical features, prevention and control of HIV/AID viral infection. It will serve as a reference material for subsequence research; the finding and recommendation will be a source of useful information to the people. Public Health awareness agencies on HIV/AIDS viral infection.

1.3     AIM AND OBJECTIVES

Aim

• To determine the prevalence of HIV among students of federal polytechnic Nasarawa

Objectives

• To determine the prevalence and distribution of HIV among the students of federal polytechnic Nasarawa. 
• To identify the demographic factors and other risk factors responsible for the infection. 
• To determine the levels of knowledge, attitudes, behavior and practice of students.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0            LITERATURE REVIEW

Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The term HIV/AIDS represents the entire range of disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus from early infection to late stage symptoms (Gupta, 2006). During the initial infection, a person may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. This is typically followed by a prolonged period without symptoms. As the illness progresses, it interferes more and more with the immune system, making the person much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors that do not usually affect people who have working immune systems (Grant et al., 2011).

HIV is transmitted primarily via unprotected sexual intercourse(including anal and oral sex), contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.^]Some bodily fluids, such as saliva and tears, do not transmit HIV. Prevention of HIV infection, primarily through safe sex and needle-exchange programs, is a key strategy to control the spread of the disease. There is no cure or vaccine; however, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy (Brown, 2012). While antiretroviral treatment reduces the risk of death and complications from the disease, these medications are expensive and have side effects. Without treatment, the average survival time after infection with HIV is estimated to be 9 to 11 years, depending on the HIV subtype.

Genetic research indicates that HIV originated in west-central Africa during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. AIDS was first recognized by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade. Since its discovery, AIDS has caused an estimated 36 million deaths worldwide (as of 2012). As of 2012, approximately 35.3 million people are living with HIV globally.^]HIV/AIDS is considered a pandemic—a disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading.

HIV/AIDS has had a great impact on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination. The disease also has significant economic impacts. There are many misconceptions about HIV/AIDS such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non-sexual contact (Hooper, 2009). The disease has also become subject to many controversies involving religion. It has attracted international medical and political attention as well as large-scale funding since it was identified in the 1980s.

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