5,000 people contracted HIV/AIDS in Kogi – Investigation

Posted by admin Headlines, Kogi, State News Monday, June 25th, 2012

OVER 5,000 youths are said to have been allegedly infected with the deadly HIV/AIDS virus in Kogi State within the last one year.

This was disclosed during the capacity training organised for over 1,000 barbing and hairdressing salon operators in the Kogi Central senatorial district.

A research recently carried out by a lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Okene, Titus Olusegun Stephen, in conjuction with Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), indicated that the spread of the deadly disease was alarming, especially among students of tertiary institutions, barbers and hair dressers in Kogi.

The research also revealed that when a random sampling of the affected group was carried out, some students barbers and salon operators, who are living with the virus, did not know they had contracted the disease.

According to Mr Stephens, a fellow of French Research Institute in Africa, the first segment of the training in the state was organised for the barbers and hair dressers, to curb the spread of the deadly disease in the state.

“Sadly, our findings revealed that only about five percent of the people realise the need to sterilise their tools before usage,” he said, while promising that similar training would be carried out for students in the state.

-Vanguardwp_posts