This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of HIV-1 and -2 among freshmen of University
of Port Harcourt, in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria. Seven hundred and six new students (347 males and
359 females) were recruited for this study from January to March 2010. Samples of blood were collected,
transported, stored and processed using standard laboratory procedures. All the patients were screened for
the presence of antibodies to HIV-1 and -2 using 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) rapid
screening kits, based on WHO systems-2 for detecting antibodies to HIV-1 and 2. The diagnosis of HIV
infection was further confirmed by Western blot. The results showed that there were 347 (62.5%) males and 359
(37.5%) females, their age ranging from 16 to 25 years. The male:female ratio was 1:1. Of the 706 fresh students
who were enrolled into the study, 6(0.9%) were positive for HIV-1 and -2 antibodies. It showed that students
16 years of age and above had higher infection rate for HIV (15.5%, n=16). Statistically, there is no significant
difference in the distribution of infections with respect to age (P>0.05). Antibodies to HIV-1 and-2 was detected
in the same proportion among males and females (4.0%, n=3) and no significant difference in the distribution
of HIV infections by gender (P>0.05) was observed. The results of this study have highlighted the fact that HIV
infection is common among freshmen of Uniport, Port Harcourt, an urban area of Rivers State. The presence
of HIV-1 and-2 antibodies in freshmen, of Uniport calls for a concerted effort to implement a clear-cut plan to
establish the necessary infrastructure and resources to control the HIV infection among students.