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In the early 1980s, clinicians came across rare cases of cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma and larger numbers of a special case of pneumonia called pneumocystic pneumonia. Within two years, both these problems were traced to a severe immunological deficiency, caused by a virus1 that was soon acknowledged as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The first news reports (in the early 1980’s) reflected the outbreak of a rare pneumonia and cancer among gay men and the desperate search for a cure. For some time, the news media associated AIDS with homosexuality, then with sex workers and following that with intravenous drug users. To a large extent, people outside of these groups believed they were safe from HIV.
Beliefs emerged widely throughout the world that HIV was a punishment for immorality. Many people did not want to shake hands or hug HIV-infected people -even when they knew about the possible modes of HIV transmission. HIV-related stigma and discrimination have cost many people their lives and jobs. In many parts of the world, children have been thrown out of school and people with HIV have been victims of violence because of their infection.
Given the extent of the stigma and discrimination they experience, many people with HIV keep their status hidden from others. Often, this allows the virus to spread further. Certain social pre-requisites are urgently needed to remove some of the hurdles in HIV prevention. Unaffected populations will not recognize their own vulnerability if people with HIV cannot openly and safely disclose their status. Denial and blame will not be completely overcome in the absence of a human face to HIV and AIDS issues. Discrimination will not end unless sufficient empathy is created. Thus, a vicious cycle prevails where discrimination silences the voices of people living with HIV, the silence allows the status quo, which allows discrimination to flourish.
Public service announcements soon focused on the fatality of AIDS, emphasizing death and using frightening images. Media campaigns using fear tactics gave more reason to focus on stereotypes and blame. AIDS became one of the most controversial challenges on the planet, as governments chose to be silent for long periods only to be shaken into action when the disease brought an end to the lives of entire villages of people.
Many media reports have focused on the disastrous and rapidly increasing impact of HIV and AIDS on children and women. Skeptics have argued that the media incorrectly pays more attention to HIV and AIDS than to other fatal illnesses, such as malaria and tuberculosis -a possible indication of the limited response to the magnitude of health-related challenges in developing countries.
With antiretroviral therapy (ART) becoming available all around the world, access to credible information sources for media professionals on the science of HIV has become crucial. ART advancements happen fast, and if journalists don’t know of them and understand them, they will misinform the public.
Media professionals are often called upon to mobilize political and social will, especially where HIV prevalence rates are low and AIDS fails to manifest itself overtly. Without the necessary information, journalists will not be equipped to respond effectively to this epidemic. Media professionals don’t have to be HIV experts, but at the very least, they need to know the basics about HIV and AIDS.
BUILDING YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HIV AND AIDS
If you have not yet met someone affected by HIV, then now is the time that you do. Hearing the stories of people with HIV from their own mouths and in their own words, will help you to put a human face to HIV and better understand the challenges faced by people living with HIV. It may take extra effort on your part to prepare thoroughly for the story, but a human interest story like this will speak for itself.
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HIV-INFECTED PEOPLE
Worldwide, the main mode of HIV transmission is through heterosexual sex. The spread of HIV is often fueled by the fact that many societies don’t approve of discussing sex openly. Discrimination against people affected by HIV and AIDS is a human rights violation. It makes it difficult for people to access accurate information about HIV prevention. It also makes it more difficult to discuss something like condom use with sexual partners or children.
Because of the reluctance to discuss sex, it’s important for a media man to be sensitive when dealing with sexual issues. But, nonetheless, they need to be discussed. Sexual taboos influence people’s understanding of HIV – from unscientific clues on what is good sex to wild notions on how to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. It may be worthwhile to examine how taboos prevent knowledge-sharing and what is required to remove them.
Most-at-risk populations, such as sex workers and intravenous drug users (IDUs), sometimes feel discriminated against, so they lack the confidence to visit reproductive or HIV health centers in order to get condoms, clean needles and information on HIV prevention. One of the controversies in HIV prevention programs has been the promotion of sterilized injecting equipment among drug users. Governments have been urged to implement needle exchange programs in which IUDs are provided with clean needles to prevent HIV transmission, but only some countries have done so.
It has become problematic, as drug users are often perceived as criminals or worthless citizens not worthy of help. This type of stigma, also commonly experienced by sex workers and men who have sex with men, is often reflected in society through harsh and violent treatment of people with HIV.
It’s crucial to inform the public – who may include politicians, policymakers and grassroots organizations – of incidents where people with HIV (PLHIV) are being treated unfairly. Like all of us, PLHIV have the right to be treated as human beings, and when that right is violated – whether through violence or social segregation – people need to be made aware of it. You can contribute to change by performing your job professionally, introducing creative concepts and providing accurate information.
1 For an interactive timeline of the epidemic, visit www.kff.org/ hivaids/ timeline/hivtimeline.cfm
2 There are still some who doubt that HIV causes AIDS. For example see www.healtoronto.com/nih/