KADUTU ZS POPULATION RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS CDV

HIV/AIDS is a major cause of death worldwide. Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is recognized as an effective strategy for preventing and managing HIV/AIDS. However, most people do not know their HIV status. This study focuses on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population of the Kadutu health zone regarding VCT. The overall objective was to improve the population's adherence to HIV/AIDS VCT services. Three hypotheses were formulated: 1) the population has little knowledge of VCT, 2) it has negative attitudes towards VCT, 3) use of VCT services is low. A cross-sectional survey of 400 households was carried out. The results showed that 92% of respondents were aware of VCT and its benefits, refuting the first hypothesis. However, negative attitudes were identified, with 96.5% of respondents rejecting people living with HIV and 68.7% associating testing with infidelity or irresponsibility, confirming the second hypothesis. What's more, only 7.5% of respondents had ever been tested, supporting the third hypothesis.