‘Only 30% married men use condoms with prostitutes’

Only 30.5 per cent of married men who reportedly engage in “penetrative sex with commercial sex workers use condoms,” a research has shown.

The study showed that out of the 1,396 and 459 married male respondent who reside in urban and rural areas respectively, only 137 had used commercial sex workers in the past six months prior to study and only 63 men had used a condom at the last visit.

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof. John Idoko, said this during the presentation on PreExposureProphylaxis by the United States Mission.

According to him PrEP is the newest HIV prevention tool which involves the use of Truvada, an antiretroviral to prevent HIV infection.

About 62 per cent of new infections, he said, occured among persons perceived as practicing “low risk sex”, including married sexual partners.

Idoko cited three approaches that would aid the implementation of PreP, including remodelling with data analysis. He added, “We want to do a feasibility study in four states.”

Also speaking, the Director (Prevention, Care and Treatment) at the Health International (FHI 360), Dr. Hadiza Khamofu, said infections in low risk relationships were acquired through high risk sexual encounters

She cited a recent study by Dr. Taiwo Ijawogin of the University of Ibadan on condom use with sex workers and abstinence among men Nigeria.

Speaking on ‘Discordancy trends in Nigeria’s PMTCT programme’, she stated that the ante-natal care prevalence rate of 4.1 per cent exists among the 160 million populations, adding that pregnancy presents a period of higher risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV infection.”