AfricaBlog

AIDs Education Moves Slowly

At least in Botswana, education aimed at helping reduce new HIV infection is still not changing attitudes, superstitions, or behaviors.

A survey of listeners to Botswana's popular HIV/AIDS radio drama, "Makgabaneng", has revealed a lack of specific knowledge about the virus in a country with the world's highest level of HIV infection.

Only 55 percent of respondents rejected the myths that mosquitoes can spread HIV, sex with a virgin can cure AIDS, and healthy looking people cannot have the virus.

Over half the male respondents and about three-quarters of the women aged between 15 and 24 said they would let their children play with HIV-positive friends, but the majority said they would not buy food from people living with the virus.

As AIDs takes a huge portion of the charitable giving every year and exacts a tremendous toll on economies of many African nations, education to help prevent the spread of the virus is of tremendous importance. Statistics like these remain terrifying, even when you consider that the number of infections has been inflated.

Finding a method of teaching the facts, though, remains elusive.

Read the story.

Posted by zombyboy at March 11, 2004 02:44 PM