HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge among Persons with Physical Disability in Cameroon: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: The physically disabled have historically been excluded from HIV planning and programming largely due to perceptions that they are not sexually active. About 5.4% of the Cameroon population lives with a disability. However, there is scarcity of literature on HIV/AIDS related knowledge among persons with disabilities, mainly because those who have been charged with HIV/AIDS control have not yet considered HIV/AIDS and how it affects people with disabilities. The objective of this study was to investigate the HIV/AIDS related knowledge among persons with physical disability in an urban town of Cameroon, in order to ascertain if this vulnerable population is also a key population in relation to the HIV epidemic.