Media Against HIV/AIDS
Growing Emphasis

By Dr M. D. Bhattarai

HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly in Nepal. More than 1500 people have been reported to be infected with HIV in Nepal, as of the end of May, 2000. As the facility of HIV testing is not available all over the country and the reporting is also not systematic, the reported number obviously grossly underestimates the problem of HIV/AIDS in Nepal. Thus, the number, estimated by international experts, of people infected by HIV in Nepal is 26,000. Similarly, it is estimated that till now 1700 people in Nepal have died of AIDS.

Increase

It is well known that there is no cure or vaccine for HIV/AIDS. In fact, the likelihood of the cure or the vaccine of HIV/AIDS being found out and come to mass use seems years away. The most important reason to give utmost importance to HIV/AIDS is that the rapidly spreading disease predominantly affects the young people. In contrast to most other serious diseases, HIV/AIDS affects mainly the people of age group 15-50 years. That is why the disease is described as the killer of the fittest. A major increase in illnesses and deaths among this age group, the most productive section of society, will have much greater familial, social and economic impact than due to such effects among children or old people. If HIV/AIDS is just allowed to go on spreading unchecked in the society, it will affect widely people from all the sections e.g. farmers, laborers, workers, miners, skilled workers, technicians, drivers, students, teachers, civil servants, military, police, business communities etc. And this will adversely affect agriculture, industry, factories, mining, fishing, transport, education, civil service, business etc, i.e. all the sectors of the society. The food production, cash crop production, gross national product, per capita income, savings, export, foreign exchange etc will decrease. The dependency ratio (the number of dependents, mainly children and the elderly, to the number of producers) would increase. Ultimately poverty would increase. Thus, there is no doubt that all possible efforts to control HIV/AIDS should be made without any delay.

For the control of HIV/AIDS, specific approaches are being made to different high-risk groups by non-governmental organisations. But, considering the gravity of the problem, there is inadequate educational campaign against HIV/AIDS in the country, particularly in the government controlled media of radio and television. HIV/AIDS is rapidly spreading in the society mostly by heterosexual transmission. Ignorance of the people about HIV/AIDS seems to be one of the important reasons for its spread. Whoever understands the ways of HIV transmission is virtually safe from HIV/AIDS. Thus, the foremost important step in HIV/AIDS prevention is to provide the required knowledge (e.g., dreadful effect of AIDS on the individual, family and society, direct or indirect susceptibility of everyone to it, role of sexual activities, usefulness of condom in its prevention and control etc) to the majority of
the people of the society as quickly as possible. There should be, in particular, vigorous emphasis on safer sex. We have to virtually bombard the facts from all the possible means of communication
and media and thus stir the collective social attitude regarding the high risk behavior.

Television, radio and cinema are popular entertainment media particularly among the children, the youth and the migrant population. They are the potential mass involved in heterosexual transmission and drug abuse. They are scattered all over the society and as such are very difficult to approach in a developing country like Nepal. Thus, the value of educational campaign through radio, television and cinema is obvious. In this regard, the regular broadcasting through television, radio and cinemas of short dramas or songs with visual scenes of half a minute to a few minutes duration educating people about HIV/AIDS is particularly important. In contrast to long movies which can be broadcast for only a limited period, the short dramas or songs with visual scenes can be regularly broadcast. This would repeatedly and continuously remind people about HIV/AIDS, and in particular about safer sex. The short dramas or songs with visual scenes could be made to depict various common local situations of HIV transmission. They may also be made in animated cartoon for variety. Such short dramas or songs with visual scenes should also be included in video-films.

Message

The popular entertainment media of radio, television, cinema and video-films unfortunately remain very much underutilised in Nepal for the prevention and control of the dreadful problem of HIV/AIDS. The broadcasting of short dramas or songs with visual scenes is as such also important to honour the "right to know" of the people, including the youth, about the basic facts of importance concerning their life and death. Such broadcasting should be continuous as well, since growth is a continuous process in the society and (new) children would be continuously attending sexual maturity. Experts and organisations involved in HIV/AIDS prevention should not hesitate to emphasize on this and speak out against any lack of political will or any bureaucratic mesh in this regard. Otherwise they would also be failing in their duty!

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