Abstract:
The infection with HIV and AIDS remains a problem to Public health as to the national level as
well as on the international level. The results of the research conducted showed that the services
of VCT/PMTCT contribute effectively to the decrease of the spread of HIV and AIDS. The
present study aims at knowing the current state of the problem relating to the attitudes and the
practices of the population of Burera District related to HIV and AIDS in the area covered by
the program of VCT/PMTCT compared with the area not covered. The present study has for
Hypothesis that‘‘ The program of VCT/PMTCT contributed to the adoption of attitudes
and practices related to the decrease of HIV and AIDS transmission in the area of Burera
District covered by the program’’. This is explained by a rise in the level of adoption of
positives attitudes and practices to reduce the spread of the HIV and AIDS and by an increasing
in proportion of behavior change reached by the majority of the population in the area of the
District covered by the program of VCT/PMTCT compared with the area not covered. The
specific objectives were: to evaluate the level of adoption of positives attitudes and practices to
reduce the spread of the HIV and AIDS in the area of the District covered by the program of
VCT/PMTCT and in the area not covered; to determine the level of behavior change reached by
the majority of the population of the District in the area covered by the program and in the area
not covered. Our study was of a descriptive transversal and comparative. A sample of 768
consentives participants from four sectors (Nemba and Butaro in the area covered by
VCT/PMTCT program, Gitovu, and Kivuye in the area not covered) were interviewed. Our
study led to the following major finding: The proportion of non discriminatory / stigmatizing
attitudes towards the people living with HIV or patients with the AIDS is higher in the area
covered by the program compared with the area not covered, 89.7% and 74.8% of the
participants respectively. The proportion of condom use is higher in the area covered by the
program of VCT/PMTCT compared with the area not covered, 58.8% and 20.7% of the
participants respectively. The area covered by the program has much more persons having
sufficient knowledge of the major ways of transmission of the HIV and AIDS, 35.4% and
12.8% in the area not covered. Three times more persons in the area covered by the program
have sufficient knowledge of the major ways of prevention of the HIV and AIDS, 36.8% in the
area covered and 11% in the area not covered know at least the three major ways of prevention
of the HIV and AIDS.
Three times more persons in the area covered by the program maintained the new positive
sexual behavior, 27.6% and 8.3% of the subjects respectively use regularly the condom at the
time of the no secure sexual intercourses.
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We recommend to the VCT/PMTCT program to extend their services in all the health facilities
of Burera District and to cover the area not yet covered by using advanced strategy; to reinforce
the positive elements of the program in all the District and to correct the weakness particularly
the level of knowledge on HIV and AIDS; the use of the means to prevent HIV and AIDS and
to adopt the positives attitudes and practices related to the prevention of HIV and AIDS.
