Author(s)

Onwuchekwa Augustine Okoli, Charles Chibueze Ezekoye, Ogochukwu Ochiabuto, Clemtina Ngozi Nwafor, Stella Ukamaka Ugwu

Microbiology Unit, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Science and Technology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
School of Applied Science and Technology, Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Nigeria.
School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of HIV-1 and -2 among three selected secondary schools in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Three hundred students were recruited for this study representing 120 males (40%) and 180 females (60%) with their age ranging from 12 to 20 years from September to November, 2010. Samples of blood were collected and processed using standard laboratory procedures. All the students were screened for the presence of antibodies to HIV-1 and -2 using 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) rapid screening kits, based on WHO systems-2 for detecting antibodies to HIV-1 and -2. The diagnosis of HIV infection was further confirmed by Western blot. The results showed that out of the 300 students who were enrolled into the study, 6 (2%) were positive for HIV-1 and -2 antibodies including two males (0.7%) and four females (1.3%). Statistically, there is a significant difference in the distribution of HIV infections by gender (P < 0.05). It showed that students aged 12 years and below 20 years had lower infection rate for HIV. Statistically, there is no significant difference in the distribution of infections with respect to age (P > 0.05). Although its prevalence is low, the presence of HIV-1 and -2 antibodies in Secondary School students of Udenu L.G.A. of Enugu State should be worrisome because it can easily be transmitted to other healthy individuals in the nearest future. Therefore, this calls for a concerted and synergistic effort to nip the spread in the bud so that it cannot spread to other teenagers and the larger community.

Blood; ELISA; HIV/AIDS; Sero Prevalence; Secondary Schools; Nigeria

O. Okoli, C. Ezekoye, O. Ochiabuto, C. Nwafor and S. Ugwu, "Detection of HIV-1 and -2 Antibodies among Selected Secondary Schools in Udenu L.G.A. of Enugu State, South East, Nigeria," Open Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2013, pp. 259-263. doi: 10.4236/ojmm.2013.34039.