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SHOCKING REPORT: Prison, breeding ground for HIV/AIDS
CHIOMA UMEHA
SCARY reports
have shown that prison inmates constitute high risk groups for HIV/AIDS
infection just as unprotected sex between the male inmates (homosexuality) had
been recognised as a major problem in its transmission worldwide
The report which showed that HIV/AIDS
morbidity is heightened where tuberculosis co-exist, especially in the
overcrowded prison environment, was the submission of Mr. Goke Agboola, Deputy
Controller of Prisons Zone "A" headquarters, Lagos.
Agboola stated this during a roundtable
organised by the Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) Nigeria in its office
premises, Ikeja, Lagos.
He said that illicit injection without
sterilised equipment, which accounts for the greatest number of new HIV
infections is no less problem in African prisons.
He said that the use of condoms in prisons
is not allowed except in South Africa and observed that there is general paucity
of the of reliable data about the dimension and trend of HIV/AIDS in African
prisons, due to under-reporting among other reasons.
The Deputy-Controller said that about 92
per cent of prisoners and 90 per cent of prison staff are however aware of the
existence of the disease.
While 90 per cent are aware of ways of
transmission, especially through sexual contact, three per cent have false
belief about the issue.
His statistics showed that 61 per cent of
prisoners and 67 per cent staff admit to knowing somebody having HIV/AIDS,
adding that understanding of AIDS as a fatal disease is as high as 72.81 per
cent.
Statistics revealed that there is low
knowledge of assessment of personal risk, which is indicated by the report of
high rate of promiscuity.
According to the report, "more than 60 per
cent admit to sex with multiple partners while another 33 per cent gave a
history of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs).
Reports also showed that there is low
knowledge of low uptake of voluntary confidential counselling and test, VCCT
services as only 20 per cent of prisons have ever had HIV test, the deputy
controller said.
Sharing similar view, Dr. Eno Emah,
Assistant Controller of Prisons, Maximum Prison Hospital, Lagos, confirmed the
occurrence of high risk practices in the prisons.
Giving the breakdown of the statistics,
Dr. Emah said that about 17 to 50 per cent of staff and prisoners engage in the
use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs 32 per cent which are sourced from friends
and 14 per cent from prison wardens.
She said that both prison inmates and
staff are also involved in share and use of unsterilised needles and razor
blade.
About 10 per cent of staff and seven per
cent of prisoners engage in the sharing or use of unsterilised needles, while 28
per cent staff and 53 per cent inmates do so with razor blades. Also three per
cent of inmates engage in the sharing of injection needles while 11 per cent of
youths in Borstal Institutes account for "presumed" sex between men
They also noted that there is official
disapproval to any planned introduction of condoms for prison inmates with
dismay, that 95 per cent of prisoners will support HIV screening in prison at
all stages of custody, if permitted.
Dora Ofobrukweta, project coordinator,
Life Link Organisation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) said that her
organisation over 10 years, had been involved in HIV/AIDS intervention
programmes in the prisons to give information and training to the target group
on the issue.
Speaking on the problems and challenges of reducing the
spread of HIV/AIDS in the prisons, Ofobrukweta, said "non-diagnostic facilities
are still a problem because people living with HIV/AIDS cannot easily get
tested."
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