THE ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS HIV VOLUNTARY COUNSELING AND TESTING

THE ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS HIV VOLUNTARY COUNSELING AND TESTING

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS estimates that currently, there are 39.4 million people living with HIV worldwide, with 4.9 million new cases of HIV infection in the year and 3.1 million deaths due to .AIDS. Of the approximately 40 million people afflicted with HIV/AIDS worldwide, the top three locations are in nations of sub-Saharan Africa, with 25.4 million, cases, .followed by 9.6 million combined cases in nations of Asia Eastern Europe and 1 million cases in North America. A joint report on the AIDS pandemic by .UNAIDS and the WHO pointed to steep increases in HIV inflections in East Asia Eastern Europe and Central Asia between 2002-2004.

Many World health bodies since the discovery of HIV / AIDS ·have been reporting frightening increases in the prevalence rates – the virus and syndrome, particularly between adolescent and youths. Half of the newly HIV infected persons are about 15,000. 6,000 per day and they are aged 15-,29 largely adolescents under which undergraduates’ falls. This alarming rate of spread of HIV/ AIDS also includes Nigeria, where about 5.4% of adults (ages 15-49) are living with HIV / AIDS.

University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria of about 35,000 populations with 100 different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Student life in University of Lagos is very active and dynamic and since these students are youths therefore, it is a common thing to find them with common interests which can lead to best of times or worst of times or atime of marvelous new birth as a result of the friendship tie that are formed between boys and girls and that are often centered around sex.

HIV voluntary testing is a process whereby an individual willingly accept to go for a HIV test and before the test is conducted, he or she is counseled, the counseling is aimed at enabling the client to cope with stress and take personal decision relating to HIV/AIDS. The counseling is provided to prevent further transmission of HIV and provide psychosocial support to those infected. After the counseling, HIV antibody test is conducted to identify the presence of antibodies to HIV in the blood and afterwards a ·post – test counseling is carried out which will depend on the test result.

THE ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS HIV VOLUNTARY COUNSELING AND TESTING