Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

H IV/AIDS today is the major challenge for the world especially for the developing nations. Previous studies conducted from different regions of the world reported as substance use is one of the factors in accelerating the transmission of HIV. The rate of the infection is high and the disease is devastating among substance abusers. In our study, taking alcohol and khat showed a significant association with HIV infection. Almost a threefold and twofold chewers and drinkers respectively were identified from the cases than the controls. These substances speed up the transmission of HIV infection by causing loss of sexual inhibition in the case of alcohol use leading to have multiple sexual partner and unprotected sex or resulting in family breakdown due to economic insufficiencies in the case of khat chewing since khat is chewed during the day time, the working time, finally leading to have another sex partners. Another important condition, regarding khat, that people make themselves at having risky sexual practice is that because khat is a means for coming together of people of both sexes with various sexual experiences including commercial sex workers in which sexual intercourse is to be accompanied which is more likely to be casual and un protective. The study has involved people getting VCT services for HIV in health facilities. In the study, information was gathered through interview for possible predictor variables and by laboratory testing for the outcome variable - HIV status. The variables assumed to be possible predictors were tested for association with HIV infection by multivariate logistic regression using SPSS software.

Biography

Fantahun Ayenew completed his BSc from Haramaya University, Ethiopia at the age of 22 and his masters in Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MPH) from University of Gondar by the age of 25. He is an instructor of Public health courses and researcher at Debre Berhan University, collage of medicine and health science. He haspublished two articles in a reputed journals and also doing research on various health issues