Today, I was informed (by way of memo being physically walked around to all the teachers) that there was going to be an HIV Educational Seminar this afternoon…not for the students, but for the teachers! I was kind of surprised but interested. Since coming here, I’ve noticed that there are billboards, seminars and events all related to HIV prevention, but I hadn’t personally attended anything. At the onset of the program, I was reflecting on the fact that I don’t remember ever having any formal and specific HIV/AIDS education after 4th grade when the nurse came in to talk to us about Magic Johnson being diagnosed with HIV and explaining the condition to us. Certainly, it has been covered in various health classes amongst other STD’s in health classes but never again in isolation.
After some conversations, I was able to correlate the prevalence of HIV/AIDS here in Nigeria to the prevalence of cancer in the US. They were shocked that I didn’t personally know anyone with HIV and equally surprised when I said that I easily know 20 people who either have or have had cancer. They couldn’t find a single person that had been formally diagnosed with cancer!
I learned SO MUCH! I was definitely taking notes! Here are some of the tragic facts that I learned:
*Nigeria has the 5th highest prevalence of HIV in the world with at least 10 governors and senators living with the disease (only surpassed by India, South Africa, Uganda, and Botswana).
*Taraba State (my state) has a 6% rate of infection, and “in Jalingo it’s running rampant!”
*Barber Shops are a common place of transference because the clippers are rarely disinfected sufficiently.
*HIV is not automatically passed from an infected woman to her baby. If the baby is delivered by C-section and she doesn’t breast feed, they baby can be safe!
*If the breast milk is heated at 67oC, the HIV will be killed, but the important nutrients will be saved (I question the feasibility of “exactly 67”, but found it interesting nonetheless).
*HIV is anaerobic meaning it lives in environments depleted of oxygen. This is one of the prime reasons that it isn’t typically transferred through saliva and sweat…there’s an abundance of oxygen around!
*There are two types of HIV…Type I is more aggressive while Type II is more gradual which is why it’s important for those who are infected to continue to take caution. They could contract a more aggressive strain.
*HIV tests here in Nigeria (and most of the developing world), PCR and ELISA, don’t give instant results but instead give you your status as of 6 months ago and one has to get retested to confirm their negative status.
Then, at the end of the program, we were given the opportunity to be tested for free! I think that I was the only person who was being tested for the first time. Everyone was surprised that I’d never been tested. I tried to explain to them that since I wasn’t engaging in high risk-behavior I had never even considered it. Here in Nigeria, regardless of life-style choices, everyone is strongly encouraged to get tested on a regular basis.
In a private room, a man asked about any high-risk activities that I’d been involved in which I expected, but then I was surprised by the next question. What will be your thoughts if the test comes back positive? I hadn’t even considered it. It was harrowing to contemplate, but my initial reaction was that I would be shocked and confused. Then, he pricked my finger quickly returning my thoughts to the present. 5 minutes later I thankfully found out that I am officially HIV negative and will receive a certificate to prove it!
I've added some new pictures recently to some older albums. Here are the links:
UMCN Nursery Primary School; College of Education; Wedding Attire
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37892&l=661e1&id=501312909
JSS Faculty House Dedication Ceremony
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35471&l=4f4c3&id=501312909
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2 comments:
How fascinating. Although, I really don't know many people that have had cancer, either. I guess that's good. But it seems odd that they would present this information to the teachers--are they to then present it to the students, or is HIV a problem among teachers? How old are most teachers? Do teachers change professions as they age? Or are they in it for the long haul?
I have the same question as Faith: what are they doing to educate the students??
And it's scary getting tested, isn't it?? I've been twice now, and each time I feel like doing a dance when the results come back negative!
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