Media Urged to Give Aids Stories a Human Face
IT is imperative for policy-makers in Zimbabwe, health workers and the media
to work closely together to create awareness about the dangers of HIV and
AIDS which have become the biggest threat to the future of the nation.
This is one of the issues that emerged from the one day training programme
for local editors held in Harare this week. The workshop was organised by
the Public Affairs section of the US embassy in Harare.
The editors, drawn from both the privately-owned and state owned media,
spent a busy day with experts on HIV and AIDS from the Centre for Disease
Control (CDC) looking at some of the critical issues about the virus which
claims thousands of lives every week.
It was clear that the mass media practitioners must have a good grasp of the
major issues related to HIV and AIDS before they could disseminate it to
their readers.
There was agreement that both editors and reporters should give the HIV and
AIDS stories a human face for them to appeal to the readers.
Experts estimate that between 34 million and 46 million people worldwide
were living with HIV and Aids as of December last year. Southern Africa,
which includes Zimbabwe has the highest number of between 25 million and 28
million.
In her lively presentation, Dr Shannon Hader from the CDC pointed out that
while everyone with the Acquired Immune Deficincy Syndrome (AIDS) has the
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), not everyone with HIV has AIDS.
She said people with HIV could live for up to 10 years during which time the
HIV might develop into AIDS.
Eileen Burke noted that since the HIV virus had been discovered in 1984 and
identified as the causative agent of AIDS, there has been an increase of
late of laboratory testing all over the world.
She said that there are two types of HIV which are HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1
has eight subtypes from A to J and in Zimbabwe the HIV-1 sub type C is the
most common.
The purpose of testing, said Burke, was to detect the HIV virus, diagnosis
and treatment of opportunistic infections and to treat and monitor the
disease itself. Burke told the editors that the first stage of most cases of
HIV infection was usually a flu-like symptom lasting up to four weeks.
From there it could take up to 10 years before this develops into fully
blown AIDS. She said people should have a balanced diet that ensures a high
count of the CD4 white blood cells that can effectively fight the HIV and
AIDS virus.
Dr Sue Laver said the media had a key role to play to bring about behaviour
change in people as one way of preventiong the spread of HIV and AIDS.
She gave several examples of what could be done by people to bring about
this behaviour change. These include talking to one’s partner about the risk
of HIV and AIDS, avoiding risky situations, use of condoms and getting
tested for HIV.
“Changing behaviour means changing the way we think, feel, speak, act and
accessing goods and services,” said Dr Laver.
Dr Charity Alfredo, who spoke on Care and Treatment of HIV and AIDS patients
noted that tuberculosis (TB) was the most common opportunistic infection in
HIV.
“At least 70 percent of TB patients have HIV,” she said.
But she added that TB could occur at any stage of the HIV disease and that
it can be treated even without anti-retroviral drugs.
She said effective anti-retroviral drug (ARV) treatment requires life long
therapy with at least three different drugs and strict adherence to
treatment.
The use of ARVs suppressed the replication of HIV in the human body, said
Alfredo.