Abstract

HIV/AIDS has become one of the leading causes of death Worldwide since it was discovered over 30 years ago. The virus has defied permanent medical solutions and has continued to pose serious socioeconomic challenges to Ebonyi state. This study investigated the behavioural pattern of HIV/AIDS patients in the state with a view to establishing its impact on population growth and economic development. The specific objectives are: to identify the behavioural pattern of HIV/AIDS patients in Ebonyi state; to establish the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS patients in Ebonyi state; to establish the impact HIV/AIDS has on population growth and economic development; and to recommend strategies for lowering the upsurge of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ebonyi state. Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA) was selected for the study due to the strategic location of the institution and 210 HIV/AIDS patients were randomly sampled through simple random method. Descriptive method of data analysis was used. Findings revealed that 61.9% of those living with the virus are women, 76.2% have tertiary education, 71.9% are between 26 to 64 years old, 46.2% are single, 56.7% contracted it through sexual intercourse, 94.3% have been living with it for between 1 to 8 years, 71.4% engage in unprotected sexual intercourse since they contracted it and 85.3% are desirous of transmitting the virus to others before they die. Reported HIV/AIDS cases in the hospital between 2010 and 2014 were 2583. Causal and unprotected sexual intercourse, poverty, prostitution, indecent dressing, abuse of social network, non/improper use of condom among others were found to be some of the leading causes of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state. The study recommends establishment of special task force to check indecent/offensive dressing, attitudinal/behavioural change/modification of the patients and control on the use of social network by the youth as measures to check the further spread of the virus in the state.