AEGiS-11IAC: AIDS in Africa: implications in its control in Islam dominated northern Nigeria.

11th International AIDS Conference

Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

AIDS in Africa: implications in its control in Islam dominated northern Nigeria.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:460 (abstract no. Pub.C.1142)
Hardev G; Faculty of Medicine, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors compelling girls to become prostitutes, attitude of society towards them, their clients, their sexual activities, their knowledge about AIDS and condoms, and their expectations for leaving their profession.

METHODS: The study was conducted over 287 prostitutes.

RESULTS: Only 4.2% joined the occupation to enjoy sex and the remaining 95.8% were forced by the socio-economic circumstances. Most of them know about AIDS but only 53.1% knew its sexual mode of transmission. Knowledge about condom was poor and 93.6% were not using it. Some of them were having sex with 8 persons per day and 93% were moslem. Their chief clients were youth (77.3%), vehicle drivers (61.7%) and businessmen (53.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: Control of AIDS in northern Nigeria could be achieved ifa. Condom should be made popular and made available freely at low cost.b. Rehablitation of commercial sex workers.c. Health education is given top priority.d. Free medical treatment to commercial sex workers be made available.e. Islamic preachers, traditional leaders and community elders be involved in the AIDS con trol programme.f. Raising the socio-economic status of women which is hard to acHIVe because of high cost of living, low income and high rate of increasing poverty and inflation.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Condoms, Prostitution, Nigeria, Africa, Health Education, Coitus, Human, Female, prevention & control, ICA11

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PubC1142