Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
Voice of America - April 4, 2009
Phil Mercer
Sydney
In the impoverished South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea, the army has begun distributing 43 million condoms to help stop the spread of AIDS. It is estimated that two percent of the population is either infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or has contracted the deadly disease. But there are warnings that the epidemic could increase substantially if current trends continue.
Papua New Guinea has one of the fastest growing HIV infection rates in the world. Some studies have warned that half-a-million people - or about 10% of the population - will be living with HIV and AIDS by the year 2025.
Most infections are spread by heterosexual intercourse, with younger women and older men disproportionately affected.
The military is helping to promote the safe sex message by distributing more than 40 million condoms provided by Australian relief agencies.
Don Baxter from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations says in a vast and rugged nation the army's support is vital. "I think Papua New Guinea is perhaps the most difficult country in the world to mount a national HIV response. It has over 700 different language groups, no national transport system to speak of and few government services that actually operate outside of the capital, Port Moresby. And so in PNG though the military is one of the few organizations which actually can operate nationally effectively," he said.
In a further effort to spread the safe sex message, hotel guests in Papua New Guinea will soon find complimentary condoms alongside the free soap and shampoo in their rooms.
A local education group has reached an agreement with more than 90 hotels and guest houses to distribute two million free condoms.
With more than 600 islands and an immensely diverse culture, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare describes the island nation as a "paradise."
But the prime minister also admits that in a country where HIV and AIDS victims are often abandoned by their families, fear of the disease could make it almost impossible to stop its spread.
Some Papua New Guineans associate AIDS and HIV with witchcraft and sorcery and there have been reports of infected people being thrown into rivers, buried alive in graves or being starved to death.
Human rights organizations have reported more than 50 cases of sorcery-related deaths in Papua New Guinea in 2008.
090404
VA090403
Copyright © 2009 - Voice of America. You are welcome to use any material that is published by voanews.com, or you may link to any of the web pages that Voice of America has published on the internet. There is no need to request further permission. Should you wish to establish a link to any VOA web pages, please send your request to pubaff@ibb.gov. We would appreciate that credit for any use of VOA material be given to voanews.com, Voice of America, or VOA, and we ask that you not abridge or edit any VOA material which you may use.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
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 not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2009. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2009. 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. .