Women and the Risk of HIV Infection in Nigeria: Implications for Control Programs

AIDS is a growing public health problem in Nigeria. Since 1984 when AIDS was officially reported in the country, the number of persons infected with HIV and those with AIDS continue to increase rapidly. This trend is likely to persist in the coming years because, in spite of a high level of public awareness about AIDS, many Nigerians continue to engage in behaviors, such as unprotected sexual networking, which would raise their risk of exposure to HIV. Women in Nigeria are particularly susceptible to HIV infection and its consequences because existing sexual norms place them at a disadvantage in that they are unable to control the sexually risky behaviors of their spouses or take action that would limit their risk of exposure. The current economic crisis in Nigeria has also caused many women to go into full-time commercial sex work or enter other occupations in which they are predisposed to being lured or forced to having sexually risky relationships with men. Unfortunately, the current AIDS control intervention in Nigeria do not address these issues. This article draws attention to the biological, cultural, and economic conditions which make women in Nigeria susceptible to HIV infection and recommends how to overcome them.