HIV prevention for rural youth in Nigeria: background overview.

The negative impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been a major challenge to sub-Saharan Africa. Although the rate of new HIV infections in sub-continent has decreased, the total number of people living with HIV continues to rise. Most of the people infected with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are within the age bracket of 15 to 35 years. It has been estimated that about 80% of the infected group are aged 20-29 years. It is against the background of the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS to young people that the Canadian-Nigerian partnership Action Research on HIV Prevention for Rural Youth was conceived. This paper provides the background to the outcomes reported in this special edition of this journal by reviewing the HIV/AIDS situation in sub-Saharan Africa and the nature of the associated response; discussing the rationale for the Action Research which focuses on Nigeria; and outlining the key components of the research.