LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS) AMONGST SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Silently, stead but relentlessly a major epidemic quite different from what the world has ever experienced has invaded the globe as a whole during the past decade. It is an epidemic that knows no bound social, economic nature or religion. An epidemic that brings blame, rejection and division into families and communities. The epidemic is caused by a virus called the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV. A person infected with HIV may not feel its effects for several years. But gradually, the virus attacks the body’s immune system making it more vulnerable to infections. The advanced stage of HIV disease, generally know as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Finally lead to death.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome {AIDS} was quite unknown to man not until 1981. Today it tends to dominate the media profile especially as a subject for public health programme. Aids as devastating world wide plague is not only a health programme but also a social, economic, political and development issue.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus {HIV} that causes Aids is spread through sexual contact with an infected person by needle sharing among injecting drugs users or through transfusion of infected blood or blood clothing factors. According to Laino internet {2006}, clearly states that pregnant women infected with HIV can also transmit the virus to their new born infant before or during birth or though breast feeding after birth.
Indeed the HIV spread is a problem, which get worse day by day. According to world health organization {WHO} 1990 estimate, Aids if unchecked with contribute about 3.3 percent to the global burden of disease and 1.8 billion people will die of Aids each year.
The World Health Organization {WHO} conducted survey in 1994 13th December in twenty one local government area of Nigeria revealed that more than five percent {5%} of expectant mother in Nigeria have Aids virus while 961 people have fully grown Aids disease. The WHO report further suggested that 100,000 people have the strain of HIV virus in them.
These trends may have been further confirmed when {Ahmed 2002} at a workshop Eagged AIDS education project organized by rotary international for journalists and information officer said the rate at which the dreaded disease was spreading in Kano state was alarming.
Ahmen {2002} noted with concern that from 1996 to 2002, Aids cases in the state increased from 740 to 4, 047 and that most of the victims were between 17 years and 20 years of ages. Other states may have similar trend. This development is indeed of concern, considering the link between the spread of AIDS and prostitution with increasing incidence among Nigeria adolescents in secondary schools and institutions of higher learning. (Ahmen 2002 notation).
In view of the above background, it has become imperative to investigate into the level of awareness of adolescents on maters concerning AIDS. These have a lot to do with their personal health and well being. An informed person irrespective of age can make some difference in managing and problem it is therefore the aim of this research to assess and ascertain, the knowledge of AIDS amongst Nigeria adolescents with focus on the secondary school students of Oredo local government area, of Edo state.
