Preliminary Report on HIV-1 Vaccine Preparedness in Nigeria: Advantages of Recruiting University Students

Abigail Edubio,Ruth Guyit,Chris Isichei,Dadik Jelpe,John Idoko,Alash’Le Abimiku,Marc Bulterys,Simon Agwale

doi:10.3390/v2010073

Abstract

The national HIV seroprevalence in Nigeria has risen steeply from about 3% in 1993 to 5–8% in 2001 and now stands at 4.4%. HIV epidemic continues to be a serious threat to the most populous country in Africa with a population of 140 million, with limited use of antiviral drugs that is taken for life since it only suppresses the virus without completely eliminating the virus or leading to cure. Only a change in social behavior and an affordable vaccine can halt the epidemic in Africa. We report here results of a pilot study on the recruitment strategies, sociodemographic aspects and HIV risk behavior of a cohort of normal volunteers recruited at the University of Jos, Nigeria. Our study recorded a high degree of interest and zeal to participate in HIV vaccine studies by volunteers, and demonstrated the superiority of snowballing over invitation by mail, as a recruitment strategy. A cohort of university students may be particularly suitable for conducting HIV vaccine trials because of the assurance of prospective follow-up for up to four years (time to graduation), and a good understanding of the risks and benefits of participation as outlined in the informed consent. We had 100% retention during a follow-up period of two years. Most importantly, the cohort reflected a relatively low HIV seroprevalence, which gives preventive programs the potential to blunt or halt the epidemic.

Highlights

The HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is confounded by the complexity of the virus [1] and the unaffordability of current antiretroviral drugs
Students were motivated by access to free information on HIV/AIDS, the urgent need for an effective vaccine, and the opportunity to participate in an AIDS awareness and control program
The seroprevalence seen among young university students in Jos reflects the HIV epidemic observed in other parts of the country with a national estimate of 4.4% prevalence [8]

Summary

Introduction

The HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is confounded by the complexity of the virus [1] and the unaffordability of current antiretroviral drugs. Effective and affordable vaccine, along with health education and behavioral changes, can halt the rapid spread of the virus. A critical challenge will be to recruit, counsel and retain a sufficient number of vaccine trial volunteers and to ensure community involvement in all aspects of HIV vaccine trial development efforts in Africa [7]. We report here results of a pilot study on the recruitment strategies, sociodemographic aspects and HIV risk behavior of a cohort of HIV vaccine trial volunteers recruited at the University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Methods

Results

Discussion