HIV/AID: Reasoning the Risky Result

Nigeria is the second largest country in the world of people living with HIV/AIDS, with an estimated number of 2.6million. This perturbing situation prompted Afolabi Oni a 400level Student of Education English to view the situation.
Obafemi Awolowo University is one of the best institutions in Nigeria with an estimated number of over 26, 000 students. These students form the elite class of the society and are expected to live by example. In my research conducted with a questionnaire with randomly selected 200 hundred students show that, 98% have heard of HIV/AIDS, 90% know that Nigeria is the second most infected in the world and 80% know that Africa has over 60% of the epidemic. 51% know that using infected syringe will get one infected while 67% know that unscreened blood can get one infected. 67% believe good condoms can still get one infected, 8% think that pecking and eating with an infected person respectively can get one infected. 7% think that dancing and using toilet with an infected person can get on infected and 78% think that salvia is infectious. Over 85% do not know their HIV/AIDS statue and 81% still engage in unsafe activities like sex, use of unscreened sharp objects despite having known their statue. All this and more were revealed in the research.
Speaking with the Dean Division of Students’ Affairs of OAU, Dr. Mrs. Lateefat Durosinmi said, ‘The problem is lack of finance and we are appealing for better coordination. The university has a committee on Aids but I recommend that the organizers should look for better awareness strategy to catch the attention of students.’
The Gist correspondent went to National Agency on the Control of Aids (NACA), OAU, the vision of Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and met with Mr. Bankole Olutade a graduate of Guidance counseling in University of Ado Ekiti who has also gotten some paramedic training and currently the counseling psychologist, ecobank/Naca youth service centre said to campuslife that, ‘The high rate of infected persons can be views from the stand point of population more so, the migration rate in Nigeria is high and the level of illiterate also contributes to it. It is disturbing that despite the free HIV testing by NACA, students are not interested in the test maybe the fear of stigmatization is the rationale behind this, but all we do here is one hundred percent confidential. I must say that financing NACA has not being easy since the inception of this new administration. The University Administration should help us with financing, although they are doing a good job, but we need more training and most importantly a column on the OAU website for better publicity. Currently as I speak, we have just two kits available and we cannot continue with the free testing because we must reserve it for emergency. Some students’ test positive and they don’t look sick and they are good looking, we just advise students to play safe. We have free condoms here both male and female condoms but we give on request. Abstinence is core.’
The Gist correspondent also met with Dr. Adesegun Fatusi a public health physician, an associate Professor of community Health and the Director for the institute of pubic health also had a detailed discussion with The gist correspondent and he said, ‘The account for the high number of HIV/AIDS is because our population is large. We have estimated 2.4 million living with the virus and our percentage is about 3% of the population unlike other South African countries that have over 30% but with a small population.’
‘Many don’t like condom, but the reality is the best is abstinence but if you can then condom is safe, but the truth is people don’t know how to use this condom and they assume they do, they do not read the instruction on it. For instance, some condoms advise the use of lubricant but it is clearly written that not oil based lubricant, but our people use Vaseline. More so, people are expected to expel the air at the tip and hold the tip while wearing it and if you allow air to going in carelessly, you give it room to burst easy. Condom could have problem just like anything in life. ‘
He continued by saying that, ‘the virus is contained in all body fluids, saliva, virginal fluid, and sperm among others. Kissing does not produce that critical dose that will ensure infection, but any form of blood contact during kissing which is possible will facilitate infection. Some say that Aids is American Invention to Discourage Sex and take Africa into extinction, because despite their population, immorality rate Africa still has more of the virus. The truth is it is not about how sexually active that you are, but how sexually wise that you are. Many people in developed countries use condom and more so, some of our social practices like one giving out unscreened blood, more so here, people don’t donate blood like advanced countries. Also, how do we dispose used syringe, local scarification and traditional birth delivery that people do with non professionals. For instance in South Africa, ‘they say once you are HIV positive go and sleep with a virgin and that will cure it, this cannot but make the case worse for Africa. More so, we didn’t rise up early to challenge the virus.’
‘The issue of marrying an infected person is a choice but they must be under a specialist. I cannot but say that the rate of infection between male and females is like 30 to 70% respectively. This is unconnected with the sizes of the opening of the two reproductive organs. The male still deposit the sperm and this makes was for females and they must be more careful. Our government has not taken it as a problem, even foreign country are helping us more than them. They should see it as a capital problem, because if everyone is infected, who will remain to teach, treat and perform other professions,’ Dr. Fatusi concluded.
Ademola Adefioye the President of Education English, 400 level, said, ‘I is surprising that even with the high level of conscientization and awareness the rate that HIV spreads is alarming. The disease has gone beyond ‘abstinence and self protecting’ everyone should preach it everywhere even in religious houses. Nigeria has huge population and that means that promiscuous persons see that as an advantage because they will say, variety is the spice of life and they will be keeping various sex partners. We cannot but keep preaching it anybody can be infected with the virus.’
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