Prevalence of HIV Infection among Adolescents and Young People at a Tertiary Health Facility in Ekiti State, Southwest, Nigeria

Background: Nine out of every 10 of the world’s 1.8 billion adolescents and young people (AYP) live in developing nations, Nigeria inclusive. In Nigeria as in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, 1 out of every 3 persons is an adolescent or a young person. As at 2016, there were about 240, 000 AY) aged 10-19 years in Nigeria, which roughly makes 7% of the total number of people living with HIV (PLWH) in Nigeria. According to 2017 national survey, about 70% of the country’s AYP lack knowledge of how HIV is transmitted or how it can be prevented. Since AYP, aged 10-19 years, constitute a significant proportion of the nation’s burgeoning population, it is very important and critical to fully understand the dynamics of the HIV epidemic among AYP. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of HIV among AYP at a tertiary health facility in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria and comparing it with national and regional prevalence among same group.

Methodology: The study was a retrospective study of AYP, aged 13-20 years at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria. Convenience and consecutive sampling method was used in retrieving subjects’ data. One hundred subjects whose ages were between 13 and 20 years were consecutively sampled over a period of six months, July to December, 2018.

Results: Out of the one hundred subjects retrospectively sampled, 46 (46%) were males, while 54 (54%) were females. Four (4%) of the subjects were 13 years of age, while 6(6%), 5(5%), 8(8%), 27(27%), 17(17%), 12(12%) and 21(21%) respectively were aged 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 years. Three (3%) of the subjects were positive to HIV, 1 (%) was male, while 2 (20%) were female, thus giving a sero-prevalence rate of 3%. Disaggregation of the positive subjects reveals that 33.3% were male, while 66.7% were females.

Conclusion: Though the general prevalence of HIV in Ekiti State ranks among the lowest in Nigeria, group-specific interventions targeting the AYP should be put in place in the State to address the disproportionately high prevalence among the AYP in the State.