ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TOWARD HUMAN IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME IN ORUK ANAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Many people do not believe in the existence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and simply say it means “America invention to discourage sex?

Despite the scary nature of the disease with its inevitable end in death. AIDS is an acronym for acquire immune deficiency syndrome which is the present public health scourge that has defied all attempts made so far to produce a vaccine for its prevention or drugs for it cure. This disease has been rampaging the universe for two decade now and it is the most dehumanizing killer disease of which there is no cure (Manaduagu 2002). This is an infections disease caused by virus which attacks certain white blood cells which form the body’s immune system and destroys the body’s ability to fight disease and illnesses.

Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) was identified by Dr. Luc Montanier of the Pasteur Institute, Paris and Dr. Robert galls of the National Caner Institute, USA (Essien, 1999)

AIDS is a lethal sexually transmitted disease which came to public notice toward the end of the last century. Some people are paranoid who are afraid of the death agent that they cannot walk pass on AIDS patient while some are simply confused about the existence of AIDS.

The world health organization and other concerned bodies sees it as a serious problem and are doing everything possible to help in alerting everybody about AIDS. In Africa, the confirmed case of AIDS was reported in Nairobi, Kenya in 1984 through hetero sexual contact. It is estimated that about one out of forty African is currently infected with HIV (WHO 2000).

In Nigeria, the first case of AIDS was seen in 1984 in a sexually active thirteen year old girl but was reported in 1986. Case of AIDS was also reported among commercial sex workers in Lagos and Edo State in 1986 (Osuolale, 2001). There are predominantly two types of HIV. There are: HIV 1 and HIV 2. HIV 1 is found in many parts of the world while HIV 2 is mostly found in sub-Sahara Africa. Some individuals have been seen to be infected may be found in body fluids like blood, semen, breast milk, vaginal secretions, traces also occur in tears, sweat, and saliva (wheat 1988). AIDS depends on the general health and specifically no nutritional status of an infected persons.