Breaking the Wall of Silence: Aids Policy and Politics in Nigeria

Abstract

AIDS was first diagnosed in Nigeria in 1986. By that time, the government had enough information from experiences in other African countries to goad it into quickly establishing a control program. Nigeria's National AIDS Control program, however, fell victim to years of military arbitrariness and uncertainty. It was underfunded and had three directors in as many years. This arbitrariness and general lukewarm response from government occurred despite rapid increases in seroprevalence rates. Available data indicate a national prevalence of 5.4 percent and rates as high as 30 percent among some "high-risk" groups; as many as 10 to 15 persons with full-blown AIDS are admitted weekly in some tertiary facilities. Experiences in communities show an already heavy and growing burden. The nonchalance of past military regimes is gradually being reversed with Nigeria's return to civil rule in May 1999. Perhaps because of the fragmented statistics and the government's seeming conspiracy of silence, Nigeria is not included in the count of African countries with high HIV/AIDS prevalence. The author suggests that the new democratic government needs to go beyond professed commitment to demonstrable action to halt the spread and address social and other impacts of the epidemic.

A pilot to investigate the use of the icf in documenting levels of function and disability in people living with hiv

“…The main problem for HIV participants was found to be fear of disclosure due to expected stigmatisation from the community, as reported by other authors (Alubo, 2002;Alubo et al, 2002) (Medley et al, 2004). The ICF, with its domains of Support and Relationships (e3) as well as Attitudes (e4), provided a good starting point from which to explore perceptions and effects of stigma on the individual.…”

Knowledge of AIDS and HIV risk-related sexual behavior among Nigerian naval personnel

“…This low perception of risk is probably influenced by the widespread denial of the existence of HIV in the country. Many citizens claim they do not believe AIDS exists in the country because they have not personally seen anyone infected with the disease, others perceive the dangers posed by AIDS with fatalism arguing that a person who is not killed by AIDS will eventually "die of something else anyway" [5]. …”

“…With an estimated 5.8% of adults or 3.5 million persons already infected, Nigeria is now placed fourth among countries with the highest number of HIV infected persons worldwide [4]. HIV/AIDS is a huge burden on the nation's health care system, yet the figures probably underestimate the real magnitude of the epidemic because of underreporting, inadequate resources for HIV testing and missed diagnoses [1,5]. Although the majority of Nigerians are familiar with HIV/AIDS, risky practices are widespread in young persons [6,7] female sex workers (FSW) [8] and commercial drivers [9], indicating the need for improved intervention programs in these populations.…”

Journalists' Knowledge of AIDS and Attitude to Persons Living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…9 Primary prevention through targeted educational interventions is one of the most realistic strategies for controlling further spread of HIV in Nigeria. The mass media including radio, television and newspapers have important roles to play in HIV prevention and control activities.…”