ABSTRACT
A National Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Programme was formed in 1988 and a field staff of six was charged to conduct educational programs for a nation the size of South Carolina with a population of 4,000,000. In the late 1980s it was widely believed in several West African countries that European tourists had introduced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS into West Africa. While relatively well-informed about HIV transmission and prevention, the respondents’ pessimistic assessment of their fellow countrymen’s willingness to take prevention measures involving the use of condoms is cause for concern. The fact that a clear majority of respondents believed that most Sierra Leoneans would refuse to use condoms even if they knew condoms would protect them from contracting HIV is consistent with some of the continent-wide findings. Prior to 1990 Sierra Leone faced circumstances common to a number of other West African nations: confirmed AIDS cases, although small numbers at first, were increasing annually.
