Author(s)

Edmund O. Ndibuagu^1*, Innocent I. Okafor², Babatunde I. Omotowo³

¹Department of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, Enugu State University College of Medicine, Enugu, Nigeria.
²Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Enugu State University College of Medicine, Enugu, Nigeria.
³Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria College of Medicine, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.

In 2015, about 35 million people died of HIV infection globally, with about 36.7 million infected. Most of the infection occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa. Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS exist mostly in developing countries. The research was a cross-sectional study, conducted in Enugu state, Nigeria. Objective was to assess key HIV misconceptions among rural community dwellers. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used, and information was collected from 296 respondents, most of whom were above 50 years of age, married, had no formal education, and were farmers. Correct responses to the misconceptions investigated were: HIV infection found only among sinners (29.7%); HIV can be transmitted by eating from the same plate with an infected person (24.7%); HIV can be 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%). Inhabitants of rural communities are more likely to hold misconceptions about HIV. It is recommended that relevant governments in developing countries design interventions aimed at addressing misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.

Assessment, HIV, Misconceptions, Rural, Community

Ndibuagu, E. , Okafor, I. and Omotowo, B. (2017) Assessment of Key HIV Misconceptions among Inhabitants of a Rural Community in Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 5, 65-74. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2017.59007.