The new face of Human Immune Virus (HIV)/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has
earned it recognition as a social problem due to the associated devastating social and cultural consequences on the
individual and the society at large. As such, the pandemic needs to be given adequate social and cultural explication
and exploration for the purpose of designing effective prevention programmes. This becomes important, as there
may be cultural variations that need be understood before an effective programme could be designed. What works
for a particular society in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention programming may not work out in another due to the
cultural and human differences. The need to know the extent of the interrelationship between cultural practices/
beliefs and HIV/AIDS for an effective programme design led to this rapid assessment in a culturally diverse state in
Nigeria, which this paper presents. The assessment was carried out in Taraba state of Nigeria, adopting combined
anthropological research techniques, namely key informant interview, written records and non-participant
observations. The study among other things discovers the major HIV “hot spots” in the state and some behavioural
risk factors sustaining the spread of HIV/AIDS. The observation shows that these risk factors and the major hot
spots are interconnected with some specific cultural practices, which militate against effective and speedy prevention
programmes in the state. The study therefore recommends a thorough understanding of people’s cultural practices
before HIV/AIDS prevention programme.