NAMIBIA: AIDS messages not strong enough - survey

JOHANNESBURG, 5 Dec 2003 (PLUSNEWS) - While nearly all community leaders in Namibia recognise HIV/AIDS as a top public issue, only half of them appear to be translating this into strong public action, a new study has reported.

The research, conducted over a six-month period by the Namibia Network of AIDS Service Organisations (NANASO), found that half the respondents said HIV/AIDS messages were not "loud enough", while over a third felt that too much attention was being given to the issue.

NANASO acting national coordinator, Andrew Harris, said more than half the participants accurately described HIV as a virus, yet a quarter saw it as a punishment, and few recognised the importance of poverty in relation to the impact of the disease.

Harris told The Namibian newspaper that although there was an overwhelming need to improve knowledge about HIV/AIDS, there were worrying signs of a lack of willingness to change behaviour.

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