Knowledge and attitude of secondary school students in Nakaseke, Uganda towards HIV transmission and treatment.

Background: One of the major health concerns in Nakaseke district, Uganda is the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as of March 2014, the prevalence rate of the disease in the district was estimated at about 8%, compared to the national average of 6.5%, making Nakaseke district have the sixth-highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the entire country. We set out to explore the knowledge and attitude of secondary school students in Nakaseke, Uganda on HIV transmission and treatment. Methods: This was a cross sectional survey-based study with data collected during the month of February 2020. Data were analyzed using R programming language version 3.6.2. Results: A total of 163 participants volunteered for the study, 53.37% males and 46.63% females with ages ranging from 12 - 20 years. Participants came from 5 senior classes (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S6). In total, 87.73% participants were aware of HIV/AIDS while 12.27% were not. The major source of information was through teachers/schools. 96.50% knew the mode of transmission of HIV/AIDS and 95.11% were conversant with HIV/AIDS prevention. 63.6% were aware of the terms DNA and genes whereas 36.36% were not. Discussion: Generally, the students in Nakaseke district, Uganda had a high level of awareness of HIV/AIDS. However, with regards to aspects such as the cause and modern prevention methods like taking prep and prevention of mother to child transmission were less known to them. Efforts to find a cure for HIV/AIDS are still in vain. Therefore, strong emphasis on up to date control and prevention methods should be implemented to fight the HIV/AIDS scourge .