Attitude towards HIV/AIDS among Private Plantation Workers in the Southwest Region of Cameroon Jane M. Chah 1 , E.M.Igbokwe 2 and A. E. Agwu 3 Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria E-mail: 1 <jmchah@yahoo.co.uk>, 2 <edwin.igbokwe@unn.edu.ng; emigbo@yahoo.com>, 3 <ekwe.agwu@unn.edu.ng; agwuekwe1@yahoo.com KEYWORDS HIV/AIDS. Epidermic. Stigma. Discrimination. Productivity ABSTRACT The study was carried out in private plantations within the southwest region of Cameroon. A survey method was adopted to collect data for this study using simple random sampling technique. Pre-tested questionnaire/structured interview schedule and focus group discussion were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using regression analysis, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and student’s t-test. A total of 86 respondents were used for the study. The results show that although there was a high positive attitude among respondents, HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination still existed in the plantations. Stigmatization and discrimination would have a severe negative impact on the productivity of affected workers hence, intervention programmes aimed at eliminating stigmatization and other discriminatory attitudes such as education of plantation workers against blaming affected members should be carried out by the plantation administration. INTRODUCTION Right from the beginning, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been accompanied by an epidemic of fear, ignorance, and denial, leading to stig- matization of and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their fam- ily member (International Center for Research on Women 2002). HIV/AIDS –related stigma and the resulting discriminatory acts create cir- cumstances that fuel the spread of HIV (Busza 2001). The fear of being identified with HIV prevents people from learning their sero-status, changing unsafe behavior, and caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. A study in Botswana and Zambia found that stigma against HIV-positive people and fear of mistreatment prevented people from participating in voluntary counsel- ing and testing and programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission (Aggleton 2000). The authors argued that apart from fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS, stigma and its resulting discrimination also intensifies the pain and suf- fering of both PLWHA and their families. Stud- ies have also shown that PLWHA are unfairly treated and/or discriminated against because of their actual or suspected HIV/AIDS status (Gilimore and Somerville 1994; International Center for Research on Women 2002; UNAIDS 2002). Discrimination against people living with or suspected of having HIV/AIDS, apart from denying them their basic rights, is also an inef- fective public health measure. According to UNAIDS statistics, 600 Came- roonians get infected every day at a rate of 25 persons per hour (NACC 2004). The pandemic has left a very serious impact on the nation’s labour force, with significant attendant drops in productivity and profitability. Above all, it constitutes a serious threat to the socio-economic development of the country. In 2007, the num- ber of people living with the HIV in Cameroon was estimated at 510,000 with 8,006 in the south West Region (Oye and Kuper 2007). The link between migration and the spread of HIV has been well established. Numerous studies in developing countries have cited mi- gration as one of the most important factors lead- ing to the rapid diffusion of HIV (Anderson et al. 2003; Lukalo 2000; Skeldon 2000; Wolffers et al. 2002). Since workers in plantations in Cameroon come from all parts of the country, and giving the fact that negative attitudes of persons fuels stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients which might affect produc- tivity, it was necessary to look at its situation with respect to private plantation workers in the southwest region of Cameroon. The broad objective of the study was to ex- amine the attitudes of private plantation work- ers towards HIV/AIDS patients with a view to suggest how stigma and discrimination can be mitigated in the plantations. The following hy- potheses were also tested: (1) Ho: Personal characteristics of plantation workers in southwest region, Cameroon © Kamla-Raj 2011 J Hum Ecol, 36(3): 185-190 (2011)