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In Nigeria, the virus has been on the loose since 1986. It has taken the lives of many innocent people. It’s called Human Immune Deficiency Virus that has the ability to grow into Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (HIV/AIDS). What a name!
Globally, half of the world’s HIV/AIDS infected people are women and children with 6,800 new HIV infections occurring each day. Nigeria ranks second in terms of the actual number of people infected with HIV after India. In Nigeria, young people constitute over 33.6% (47 million) of the Nigerian population and over 60% of HIV infected people.
So far, a lot has been done to tackle the issue, but much still needs to be done in incorporating young people, because we are most affected. Only 57% of young people in 2005 knew all the transmission routes for HIV. 22.50 % of young women and men age 15- 24 both correctly identified ways of sexual transmission infection and HIV and also knew the major misconceptions about mode of transmission. Only 27% of 16-24 year-old single and sexually active teen women reported using a modern contraception. This is caused by limited access to effective youth reproductive health education programmes and inadequate youth-friendly services in Nigeria.
Many programmes have been put in place by the government and private sector to fight the virus. However, new prevention strategies are desperately needed to help reduce the prevalence rate. It was in view of this that in 1988 the World Health Organization established every 1st of December to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic and encouraging discussions about the virus.
Although the prevalence rates appear low at 4.6%, the theme for this year’s World AIDs Day, “Universal Access and Human Rights”, couldn’t have come at a better time in the history of our great country. The most populated black race in the world is a signatory to the UNGASS Declaration to universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, and in line with these it will be of great importance for us to reflect on the government’s effort on young people’s reproductive health, especially HIV/AIDS, 8 years after the declaration and 23 years after the discovery of the virus in Nigeria.
What does the future hold?
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by Anatic09
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