STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF INCIDENCE OF HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA FROM 1996 – 2005

Thesis Overview

1.1 INTRODUCTIONAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the most unwelcome visitor of the 20th Century. It has been disturbing and posing a great threat to human race and world population. Since the discovery of AIDS in 1981 in America, there has been tremendous rise in the cases the number of deaths. The prediction of doom by some local and international organization like the United Nations is turning into reality. The future is so uncertain as to what will become of developing countries like Nigeria where the scourge is gradually taking its tell on the population. 1.1.1 WHAT IS AIDSAIDS is a very serious disease that affects the body’s ability of defend itself against certain other diseases. It caused by virus HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus). It is retrovirus which affects and takes over certain cells of the immune system. The HIV virus penetrates immunity enhancing cells. It then makes new copies of itself and from there, goes on infecting other immunity cell. This causes the infected cell to function improperly and prematurely. This leads to weakening of the immune system thereby permitting all kinds of infection.1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY1.2.1 THE ORIGIN OF AIDSNo one knows exactly where the AIDS virus came from but many scientist think it originated in Africa. One theory is that AIDS virus evolved from a similar, through harmless virus found in African Green Monkey. According to this theory, soemtime in the past, one of the monkey viruses underwent a change mutatim that enabled it to survive in the human body. This mutation was passed on to the virus’s “offspring” and eventually same of the mutated viruses found their way into the human body, perhaps as a result of a person being bitten by a eating a monkey (monkey brains are popularly found in Africa). Once inside the human body, the virus may have mutated further until it become the virus known today as the AIDS virus. Regardless of exactly where it started, AIDS is now a world wide problem.AIDS was first discovered in America in the year 1981 by Dr. Montegor of the California University. But today, AIDS has been reported in over 100 countries of the world.1.2.2 CAUSES OF AIDSMost scientists believe that AIDS is caused by a type of germ known as a virus. The virus has been given a number of different scientific names including: HTL V – III, LAV, ARV and HIV. The most commonly known among these is HIV.HIV stands forH – HumanI – ImmunodeficiencyV – Virus1.2.3 SYMPTOMS OF AIDSIt depends on which disease the person develops as the immune system break down.Most common symptoms are:i. Prolonged diarrheaii. Swollen Lymph glands in the neck, armpits or elsewhereiii. Unexplained weight lossiv. Persistent dry coughv. Severe skin rashes which comes and goesvi. Night sweatvii. Extreme tirednessviii. White patches inside the mouthix. Shortness of breathx. Proneness to different kinds of diseases like tuberculosis, cancer, pneumonia, chest infection, Meningitis.1.2.4 MODE OF SPREAD OF AIDSi. Sexual Intercourse (homo, heterc)ii. Prenatal transmission from mother to new borniii. Blood transfusioniv. Use of unsterilized equipment and contaminated needlev. Contact with blood of infected person