Key HIV Misconceptions among Inhabitants of a Rural Community in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

This chapter assess HIV misconceptions among rural dwellers in Enugu state, southeast Nigeria. By November 2021, 36.3 million people had died of HIV infection globally, with 37.7 million people still infected with the virus as at 2020. About 25.4 million of those infected are found in WHO African Region. Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist mostly in developing countries. The study was of descriptive, cross sectional design, using pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed during a medical outreach activity in January 2015, organized by indigenes of Udi Local Government Area who were health workers in the State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu. Correct responses to the misconceptions investigated were; HIV infection found only among sinners (29.7%), HIV transmitted by eating from the same plate with an infected person (24.7%),  HIV transmitted through handshake (29.7%), HIV can be transmitted by touching the urine or faeces of an infected person (24.0%), HIV can be transmitted by hugging or touching an infected person (28.0%), HIV can be cured (19.9%), Praying daily can prevent HIV infection (20.3%), and Worshipping our ancestors can prevent HIV infection (27.0%). It is very worrisome that only 19.9% of respondents in this study had this knowledge. Many pregnant women (58.6%) in Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja, Nigeria had the correct knowledge in the past that currently, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. People who live in rural areas are more prone to have false beliefs about HIV. It is advised that pertinent governments in developing nations create initiatives targeted at dispelling HIV/AIDS myths, particularly in rural areas.