HIV/AIDS risk infection high amongst tertiary students

| Friday May 17, 2013 00:00

The Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors and Perception (KABP) survey findings were presented at the teAIDS programme launch, which was set up by the Tertiary Education Council and the National AIDS Coordinating Agency (NACA) to promote healthy living amongst students at tertiary institutions.

The program coordinator, Margaret Baiketsi, said today's youth is equipped with the knowledge and resources they need to curb the spread of the virus, but the survey findings show that they are doing little to protect themselves.'You can see that they have more than enough knowledge, but from the results there is much contradiction in them,' she said.

Baiketsi said the various factors contributing to the student's carelessness in protecting themselves include; increased personal freedom and peer pressure, to mention but a few.'A total of 4312 students took part in the audit and from the findings 73% are in relationships, 82.5% had engaged in sexual intercourse and 45% had engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse. 45% is quite a large sum, its frustrating,' she added. Baiketsi further said there was clear indication students were not ready to accept HIV positive partners.

She said: '59.3% said that they would not have a partner who is HIV positive, 79% would not have a sexual relationship with someone who is HIV positive and 65.6% said they would not marry someone who is HIV positive.'

Botho University (BU) Student Representative Council president, Kenneth Nelson, said they once held a wellness week where 150 students took part and none tested HIV positive. He said although the results were promising, he remains worried about the numbers of students who are engaged in unprotected sex

He said: 'When I was in primary school we had education and organisations that taught and encouraged activism. The ignorance of our generation is not good and it has to be cast away.' Nelson further lamented the on-going discrimination of people living with HIV/AIDS and encouraged people not to discriminate. He also urged TEC ask government if it would consider setting up condom factories for them to be produced locally to avoid shortages in Botswana

The teAIDS program came in response to the teAIDS Baseline Audit that detailed alarming statistics and experiences of youth at tertiary institutions that put them at risk of contracting HIV. It covers issues of multiple concurrent partners, safe male circumcision, consistent correct condom use and abstinence.