Abstinence Is The ‘Only’ Prevention

By Hannatu Musa Musawa

Every December 1 is a day set aside to mark the World AIDS Day. It is a day which avails people an opportunity worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died as a result of AIDS. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials, non-governmental organisations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control. 

(Pix:wishestrumptet)

Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus. Despite the fact that the virus was only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of it, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. However, today, breakthrough scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment. Also, now, there are laws that protect people living with HIV and we have come to understand so much more about the condition.

Nigeria has the second-largest number of people living with HIV worldwide. The HIV epidemic in Nigeria is complex and varies widely by region. In some states, the epidemic is more concentrated and driven by high-risk behaviours, while other states have more generalised epidemics that are sustained primarily by multiple unconventional interactions in the general population. Youth and young adults in Nigeria are particularly vulnerable to HIV, with young women at higher risk than young men. There are many risk factors that contribute to the spread of HIV in our society, including high-risk practices among itinerant workers, high prevalence of STD’s, clandestine practices, international trafficking of women, and irregular blood screening.

With recent improved access to anti-retroviral treatment in parts of the world including Nigeria, HIV positive people can live a longer and fulfilled life. In fact, HIV/AIDS is fast becoming a “non-issue” as many people have been successfully living with the HIV virus. Breakthroughs and understanding of the ailment have made it possible for the virus to become more and more manageable. Compared to 20-years ago when having HIV/AIDS was akin to a death warrant, now having the ailment can be managed. Thus, while there is no known cure for AIDS, the virus can be largely managed via treatments: specifically anti-retroviral treatments and well-balanced diets.

As we join others globally in celebrating Worlds Aids Day, we must not forget preventive measures that must be adopted as a way of life in order to prevent the infection and further spread of the virus. Over time, various preventive measures have been launched to educate people on the ailment. Among these are combinations of prevention programmes, which have been considered to be the most effective initiative. The most effective, however, is ABSTINENCE! While other preventive measure have recorded high success rates in preventing more HIV/AIDS infection, it is vitally important for all concerned to emphasise the issue of abstinence, as the best form of preventive measure.

Abstinence or restraint is the practice of refraining from all aspects of intimate activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, financial, philosophical, moral or religious reasons. In fact, from all aspects of everything! While abstinence seems to be the exception in this rotten day and age that we have come to witness, it should be the norm! Abstinence is often viewed as an act of self-control over an instinct to be intimate. But self-control can also be natural and it wouldn’t kill anyone of us to practice that self-control. The display of the strength of character allows the abstainer to set an example for those not able to contain their base-urges! At other times, abstinence has been seen as a great social skill practiced by those who refuse to engage with the material and physical world. Those in the society that propose total abstinence out of the confines of marriage consider it as an ‘essential’ means to reach a particular intellectual or spiritual condition, or that chastity allows one to achieve a required self-control or self-consciousness.

Alas, in this terrible time of incongruity, abstinence has been relegated to the back burner. The society seems to be largely disenchanted. Just one glance on the social media, the film industry and the public interactions between the two genders and it would presumably seem that our norms, traditional beliefs and religion, which encourage chastity before marriage, have been severely punctured over time. In fact, it almost seems as if it is no longer fashionable to be chaste before or between marriages.

In most cases, when the youth claim to be chaste, they are either not believed or are looked down upon. Yes, it honestly seems like our society has deteriorated to that extent. Untoward behaviour seems to be more attractive. A large amount of content in the entertainment media involve lewd behaviour. In some societies there seems to be a blasé attitude to the habit of having children before marriage, when it was greatly frowned upon before. Some celebrities who conduct themselves in an unsavoury manner remain role models to many youths. Teenage pregnancies and early single parenthood, which used to be frowned upon has become more fashionable these days.

Apparently, easy accessibility to carnal contents has sky-rocketed with the advent of the internet. Through the grapevine, one hears about youths surfing the web, from one erogenous site to another, downloading amatory content. Psychologically, this contributes to youth becoming negatively adventurous at an early age and before marriage.

In a study, published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, in the journal of the American Medical Association, they randomly assigned 662 students to one of four different programmes; an eight-hour abstinence-only programme stressing the benefits of delaying intercourse; an eight-hour safe carnal programme stressing the use of protection; a comprehensive intervention that covered both abstinence and carnal protection; and a control group that offered health information unrelated to intimate behaviour. The only program that successfully delayed the start of intimate activity was the abstinence -only programme. By the end of two years, only the abstinence-only group had less people who had engaged in intimacy, compared with almost half of the control group. From the findings of the above experiment, it is evident that abstinence-only education approach works best.

As a people, we have to encourage abstinence especially when educating our children and youths in the society. Our graphic education programmes should involve and address the benefits of abstinence.

It should be explicitly stated that abstinence is the only 100 per cent preventive measure, effective in preventing teen pregnancy and STDs, such as HIV/AIDS.

Also, censuring inappropriate internet sites particularly should be contemplated by the Nigerian government in trying to curb inappropriate activity among youths. It is high time our society stopped shying away from addressing the inappropriate behaviour hidden in the society.

In order to effectively curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, teenage pregnancy, and inappropriate pre-marital intimacy, our institutions (such as the family, the religious/traditional institution, formal and informal educational institutions and the government) need to advocate more on abstinence, in particular, as the ‘only’ effective preventive measure.

Hannatu Musa Musawa is a syndicated columnist