Personal ads help tackle HIV/AIDS stigma

UGANDA: Personal ads help tackle HIV/AIDS stigma

JOHANNESBURG, 24 Feb 2004 (PLUSNEWS) - Uganda's risqué tabloid, the Red Pepper, has become a popular vehicle for talking openly about sex, HIV and AIDS, the Washington Post reports.

Personal ads run by the tabloid include information about the advertiser's HIV status and the willingness of potential partners to take a blood test.

The deputy editor of Red Pepper commented: "Our world has changed - people want to know each other's HIV status. We use a message that, in this country, has led to tremendous achievements in the fight against AIDS."

Although the Red Pepper has been criticised for its lewd photographs and sex-infused fiction, government officials have lauded the honesty of the ads as a way of tackling the stigma attached to the disease.

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