ADEREMI'S NOTEBOOK

2005 World Aids’ Day

This year over 200,000 Nigerians died of AIDS and there is currently a HIV population of 4.5 million people (source). Another source estimates that 300,000 Nigerians died in 2004. As one would expect, poor health service, associated stigma and lack of sex education for young people are the factors that have contributed to spread of HIV in Nigeria.

Things are improving slowly but more needs to be done and the 14th International Conference on HIV / AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) to be held in Abuja next week should hammer home a few points (via abujacity).

Mental Acrobatics poses a good question, “How do you tackle AIDS as an African writer/writer who happens to be African/blogger of African origin/African blogger?”. Owukori interviews Rose, who shares her personal experience of living with AIDS:

At the time it was simply a death sentence and I was told that I would probably be dead within a year. This year turned into two, three, four five and now its 19 years.

The interview illustrates the topical stigma attached with AIDS.

Don’t assume everyone knows about AIDS, at least that was what Adrian found on his recent trip to Zimbabawe:

I’m in my thirties whereas each of the others were at least fifty. The conversation started with one of the men saying ‘ I don’t know what is happening to all our young people in this country. They are all dying.’ I was stunned by his words. I knew all about the conspiracy of silence that surrounds HIV/AIDS but this did not seem like a man in denial. The other men nodded in agreement. None of them knew what was happening to their youngsters either. I wanted to scream at them ‘They are dying of AIDS for God’s sake!!!’ but I said nothing.

He also has some moving stories about the state of the health service in Zimbadawe and the carefree attitude of a friend toward unprotected sex (via sokwanele).

Tags: Africa, General, Nigeria

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