via The Times of India
Twenty-five years after the first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in the country, experts say the main target in the fight against the disease is misconceptions. After releasing the 13th Behaviour Surveillance Survey Round XIII for 2011, experts in the field said that awareness among the public had gone up but awareness without misconception was low.
Many believe that healthy-looking people have a good immune system and may not test positive for HIV/AIDS. Doctors have been trying to tell people that antiretroviral drugs - the medicines of choice for HIV/AIDS - will only keep the viral load low, but many assume they are safe after taking them. "We require schemes to target misconceptions. Only awareness without misconceptions will strengthen the fight against HIV," said AIDS Prevention And Control (APAC) project director Dr Bimal Charles.
Dr Charles said that in the surveys, people had said cleaning the vagina with vinegar or having sex with monkeys would keep out the infection.
The annual survey report, by APAC project along with Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) and USAID, has been prepared since 1996. The survey is conducted among high-risk groups like female sex workers, gays and injecting drug users and bridge population groups such as truckers and migrant workers.
With a sample size of 5,000, the field work was done in November and December 2011 across 15 towns in Tamil Nadu. The results showed a significant improvement in the behaviour among targeted groups where NGOs were working.
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[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
Twenty-five years after the first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in the country, experts say the main target in the fight against the disease is misconceptions. After releasing the 13th Behaviour Surveillance Survey Round XIII for 2011, experts in the field said that awareness among the public had gone up but awareness without misconception was low.Many believe that healthy-looking people have a good immune system and may not test positive for HIV/AIDS. Doctors have been trying to tell people that antiretroviral drugs - the medicines of choice for HIV/AIDS - will only keep the viral load low, but many assume they are safe after taking them. "We require schemes to target misconceptions. Only awareness without misconceptions will strengthen the fight against HIV," said AIDS Prevention And Control (APAC) project director Dr Bimal Charles.
Dr Charles said that in the surveys, people had said cleaning the vagina with vinegar or having sex with monkeys would keep out the infection.
The annual survey report, by APAC project along with Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) and USAID, has been prepared since 1996. The survey is conducted among high-risk groups like female sex workers, gays and injecting drug users and bridge population groups such as truckers and migrant workers.
With a sample size of 5,000, the field work was done in November and December 2011 across 15 towns in Tamil Nadu. The results showed a significant improvement in the behaviour among targeted groups where NGOs were working.
Read the rest.
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
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