AIDS Education

A proper AIDS education plays a significant role in checking the spread of HIV. Each year, millions of people are infected with this deadly disease. A proper AIDS education can somewhat prevent HIV contraction to fresh patients.

It is a two way process:

• The infected individuals can prevent the transmission of HIV to others
• The HIV negatives, can save themselves from the infection.

Importance of AIDS education:

1. It reduces the discrimination and stigma associated with HIV and makes people know the truths and facts about it. Lack of proper knowledge about the disease may make people apprehensive about taking treatment. It also leads to further propagation of the disease.
2. 2. AIDS education encourages people to take treatment for the disease and gives new perspectives of the disease.
3. AIDS education prevents HIV propagation to a huge extent.
4. It also reduces the stigma associated with other social taboos like condoms, safe sex, and breast feeding.

Who are given HIV education?

HIV education is mostly imparted to the high risk groups, who are more vulnerable to the disease. Apart from that it is given to women and children.

• Commercial sex workers: They have multiple sexual partners. Therefore educational classes are conducted in brothels, so that they can persuade their clients to use condoms and prevent HIV
• MSM (men who have sex with men): They are the most vulnerable of all groups.
• Injected drug users (IDU): This group mostly consists of young people. They desperately need AIDS education, but their activities are so concealed, that one cannot identify them as IDU, unless they are diagnosed as HIV positive.
• Heterosexual groups in all developing and underdeveloped nations: These groups of people are very conservative, yet they indulge in several risky activities in a concealed manner. Often, they do not have proper education to judge what’s right and what’s wrong. They attach several taboos to the use of condoms, female condoms and protected sex. That is the reason why Sub Saharan Africa is propagating the disease so fast. This group definitely needs enlightenment.
• Women: AIDS education is given to women so that they can prevent the vertical transmission of the disease from the infected mother to the child. This would include, how to prevent the transmission of the disease to the child, what are the ill consequences of breast feeding, and what therapies and treatment an HIV positive pregnant women should undergo, so that their child is born healthy.
• Teenagers: This group is sexually active, yet social restraints and cultural barriers abandon them from discussing several ‘in between the sheets’ matters with the elders. They may be ignorant about the causes and consequences of HIV and unprotected sex and commit a risky activity at the spur of the moment.

Who play the most important role in imparting AIDS education?

• The schools colleges and other educational organization play a huge role in providing HIV education. They identify the importance of enlightening the youth with this disease so that they can play a part in its further reduction.
• Offices and work places: Here the target audience is very different. It consists of more matured people who have active or deviated sexual life. Although, they may not expose their sexual outlook, AIDS education in offices can at least make them know what is risky and what is safe.
• NGOs: The NGOs and even some government bodies, who fight for the cause, organize several counseling sessions, campaigns and other ways to impart AIDS education. Many times they seek the cooperation of highly risked groups like sex workers and MSM, to spread public awareness.
• Mass media: Mass media has advantages of visual impact, sound impact, and most importantly wide acceptability and accessibility. It can reach out to thousands of people in just a fraction of seconds. Therefore, in many nations media vigorously and creatively spreads AIDS prevention education.

Thus, HIV and AIDS awareness is a critical factor that contributes in the termination of further HIV propagation. In the last few decades, it was understated; however, its importance is now undeniable in the present situation.