Some HIV and AIDS Media Commentary Worrying - Golda Asante

Some HIV and AIDS Media Commentary Worrying - Golda Asante | “Commentaries by some media houses made in their reportage on HIV and AIDS or about persons living with HIV to some degree discourage people to test to know their HIV status.”

Ms Golda Asante, A Technical Coordinator of the Ghana Aids Commission at the Technical Support Unit, of the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council has advised journalist to consider the appropriate language to use that will strengthen the national response to spread of HIV.

Golda was speaking at a two-day Media Training workshop organized by the African Centre for Development Reporting under the theme HIV and AIDS Reporting and Interventions for Health journalists in the Eastern Region.

She complained that “Some media reportage about HIV and AIDS doesn’t motivate for one to check their status’’

“Sometimes when you hear words that are being used to describe persons living with HIV, it’s very worrying”

She explained that journalists must consider the appropriate terminologies to use when they are reporting.

“The use of such words make these persons feel stigmatized and mostly triggers fear in others by which, in one way or the other prevents them from checking their HIV status,” she said.

Ms Golda continued by saying everyday people are having unprotected sex and the rate of infection epidemic is increasing.

According to her, such words deter the public from going out to test to know their HIV status and “they continue doing their thing”.

The technical coordinator appealed to the government and partners to come to their aid with funding to enable them visit more rural communities and schools to be able to achieve their 90-90-90 fast track target.

Some HIV and AIDS Media Commentary Worrying - Golda Asante

About the 90-90-90

The Ghana Aids Commission targets that, by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status.

By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy.

By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. The suppression should be such that the ability of the virus to multiply and increase should not be there.

By the year 2030, the commission further targets that AIDS will not be a threat.

People living with HIV will not progress to the AIDS stage.

Terminologies by UNAIDS

The UNAIDS has made guidelines for the preferred terminologies to use by its staff which is subject to review on a regular basis, thus the media must be abreast with these to be relevant to the global response to HIV.

Unfortunately however, media persons who feed the public with information on happenings within the commission continue to use terminologies that were no longer “in the books” of the commission.

She educated the journalists present at the training program on some of these words.

The training was sponsored by the US Embassy, Ghana and the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for HIV’s Relief (PEPFAR).

PEPFAR is the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for HIV’s Relief.

PEPFAR provides technical assistance in Ghana to maximize the quality, coverage, and impact of the national HIV and AIDS response, particularly among key and vulnerable populations.

Working together with the Government of Ghana, PEPFAR is aligning investments with national priorities and supports interventions known to be most effective in preventing HIV transmission. Specific priorities include the following:

Scaling up HIV combination prevention activities with a focus on key and vulnerable populations, including HIV testing and counseling, and treatment retention

Strengthening linkages between community and health system services

Advancing human rights and reducing stigma and discrimination

Implementing cross-cutting activities to strengthen the national health system, including improving strategic monitoring and evaluation across programs, and strengthening supply chain management

healthylifegh.com