AIDS myths persist despite widespread information campaigns

Urban legends about HIV/AIDS continue to circulate among young male Canadian adults, including the untrue story about a man using a syringe filled with infected blood to randomly infect people with the disease, a newly released government report reveals.

It also cited the retelling of the fabricated tale about a depressed woman with AIDs who becomes obsessed with infecting others through sex and leaving a note with their sleeping sexual partner that says: "Welcome to the world of AIDS." Conducted by Ekos Research Associates for the Public Health Agency of Canada, the report was completed from 20 focus groups made up of adult males between the ages of 18 and 25, in eight cities across Canada. It found so-called "urban legends" were especially popular among males with no more than a high school education and often serve to reinforce fears that participants said they had about being around people with HIV/AIDS.

"'Urban legends' about transmission of HIV/AIDS and those who suffer from it were common ... and appear to be passed on primarily through social interaction with friends, although most participants said they recall hearing these stories in the media," it said.

The report also mentions the recounting of the untrue story of someone placing infected needles in pop machines which then infect innocent bystanders, or a man getting HIV/AIDS from fighting someone who had contracted it.

"Participants said that fear of dying from incidental contact and fear of being around dying or suffering people are the drivers of discrimination and stigma around HIV/AIDS. Those participants with the least accurate information about HIV/AIDS contraction were the most likely to exhibit stigmatizing beliefs," concluded the report.

Jean Riverin, a spokesman for the Public Health Agency of Canada, said the $112,822 Ekos report confirmed the need for educational campaigns targeting young males despite continual media coverage, health education in schools and information campaigns on the worldwide disease during the past 25 years. He said the agency is in the process of putting together a couple of campaigns, including one that will be community-based through non-governmental organizations.

Riverin said the focus groups were held to understand in greater detail the attitudes and emotions of 18- 25-year-old Canadian males with regards to the issue of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. The report said regardless of educational levels, participants in the focus groups had "similar discomfort and distancing behaviours" when it comes to people infected by HIV/AIDS.

"Stigma related to homophobia or negative attitudes about drug use or sexual behaviour were present, but not 'top of mind' concerns of most participants. Discomfort around homosexuals is more common among participants who had no more than a high school education," said the report.

It said while most participants believed that HIV/AIDS can only be contracted by the exchange of bodily fluids, a small number said they worried about the chance they might contract the disease from other ways such as shaking hands or kissing.

source:www.canada.com