My first contact with an AIDS victim was in August 2012, then I was serving under the national youth service corps(NYSC), and I was posted to Imo State, Orlu local government.
The village is a quiet community and the villagers are closely attached to each other, It becomes obvious if a stranger walk past, he is immediately accessed and monitored.
The most interesting tradition that Leaves me speechless was that youths In the village and four villages away can not date or marry each other,a man has to go as far as possible to find a spouse or a date.
A long standing tradition exist here, it is believed that their forefathers married as many as 7 wife's and each son was given a hamlet of his own,so it is conceived that the same bloodline run’s through seven hamlets that have developed into big towns now .In a nut shell it is an abomination to marry from the next village or 7 villages away.So the young able bodied man must leave his enclave to a far away village to pick a pride or mate as the case may be.
So you can imagine the joy when an outsider moves in,to live with them, he becomes a small god,this is because he will become the toast of the village as ladies will use any excuse to make contact with the out-lander.The town is blessed with hard-working youths virtually all your needs are met here by attention seeking ladies .
MY DISCOVERY :
I was shocked when it came to my attention that some youths have contacted the HIV virus and some have Advance to AIDS.I was surprised because of the unusual lifestyle in this town, how did they become infected? That”s the big question.
My finding shows that Since they travel kilometers away to seek for a spouse,little is known about the integrity of the would-be spouse, as they get to know about the partner through recommendation from family members or friends who feel they know them too well.
On a fateful Sunday a a pale man,has emaciated so bad that he can hardly stand without the support of his mother holding him,he was brought out because neighbors complained that the housing was bringing out a foul smell, and the mother of the 36 year old man was stranded as they occupy a one room apartment in the compound were you 12 rooms (face-me I face-you).His cash as advanced to a full blown AIDS.Little is known of his demise as the mother had to relocate due to the stigma .
It is important to go for a blood test every three month this will enable you know your HIV status.
It is imperative that you go for a test before sexual intercourse,but if you must have unprotected sex,then use a condom.
This conundrum is not a popular slogan there as there are no sensitization programs by the health workers there.
There is an urgent need to incorporate a healthy life style habit here in Nigeria,as this pandemic is killing the youths quietly.
MANAGING HIV
Trust me, its not easy living and knowing that one has few years to live, including the stigma attached to it, as we have noticed, friends begin to avoid the victim,some people are so uninformed that they go the extra mile by turning down cash from HIV patient when they buy goods and services.
Practice save Sex :
This is very important,it Is imperative that your partners knows your status,and for a partner that decides to stick with you through this, it is essential that you should protect him/her by practicing safe sex *
Picture Source:
https://www.thehealthcompass.org/project-examples/are-you-safe-lover-checklist