Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
New Vision (Kampala) - December 3, 2001
"Do you know that AIDS is still a killer disease? Answer: "Yes, our teacher tells us that you can get it by making love to a boy or girl," is an advert that has been criticised by many people. It has the voices of children.
"That advert is so boring," "I never listen to it," "I switch over my car radio when I hear it, " were some of the comments given by people when asked about what they think about AIDS messages in the media over the years.
In Uganda, messages regarding HIV/AIDS have evolved over time. In the early 80s at the start of the epidemic, messages in the media were the kind that instilled fear in people especially the sick who went underground and continued infecting others. Stigma and discrimination were the result of these messages.
The picture of orphans standing around the grave of their dead parents sent shivers down the spines of the infected and affected. There was only doom for those who had the virus and they were referred to as AIDS victims. The sound of warning drums that were in the past used to alert one's neighbours of danger, and were being used in an AIDS advert, have since been discarded. In Britain, the picture of a skull on a grave with the words: AIDS kills, has been replaced with messages of hope.
Today, people living with HIV/AIDS have been able to live long because of the use of condoms, access to anti-retrovirals, as well as the declining stigma. This situation has been helped by the endless messages in the media and on billboards, AIDS experts say.
"Those who are tired of the messages are tired of life," says Dr Samuel Okware, the first programme manager of the AIDS Control Programme and now Commissioner of Health Services (Community Health), Ministry of Health. "It is a cycle, there are young people coming on board. The people are varied and so it is difficult to standardise the messages to those that can be accepted by all, he says.
He however points out that due to Uganda's multi-disciplinary approach that allowed everybody to take part in the fight against AIDS, many messages may not have been pre-tested.
"The key message is that there should never be a gap in knowledge. We should keep knocking on the door until the person opens. The fact that people are complaining, that the messages are too many shows that we are doing our work, says Okware.
About the change from scary messages, Okware notes that, "we realised that the benefits of fear are short-lived, that is why we changed to hope and looked for alternative methods of coping with the problem like condoms, access to drugs and vaccines in future".
"These people should never be called AIDS victims but people living with AIDS. Look at the children, people who get infected through blood transfusion and women who are married innocently," Okware notes. He further reveals that the re-awakening of stigma can cause a lot of chaos.
Dr Elizabeth Madraa, the AIDS Control programme manager, says, "the problem is that there are too many experts giving out messages. They are not being filtered. Messages are supposed to be pre-tested before they are released to the public."
Madraa notes that messages that do not give hope should not be released except for those that tell that there is no cure. She however says that it is important to remind people that there is no cure. This is a disease that has affected people's sex lives, which is central, she asserts.
A sociologist who counselled people with HIV/AIDS in Britain, during the early years of the epidemic agrees with her. She notes that, "people with HIV/AIDS who I counselled say the worst thing about AIDS is that it takes away sex. It affects their sexuality."
Messages, she says, can be negative or positive. In the past the messages put fear into people, but today they give hope.
The way messages are communicated to different audiences will be a major topic in the 2001- 2006 Health Sector Strategic Plan, Dr Madraa says. "It is true there have been too many experts. We need to know the limits of our role. Where we do not know it is not shameful to ask," says Madraa referring to the many adverts on HIV.
Other people however commended Ministry of Health for their persistent messages.
011203
NV011206
Copyright © 2001 - The New Vision. All articles are republished on AEGIS by permission. Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from Managing Director/Editor-in-chief, The New Vision, P.O. Box 9815, Kampala - Uganda, Tel/fax: 256-41-235221, E-mail: wpike@newvision.co.ug.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .