AIDS Campaign

While HIV/AIDS is clearly a health problem, the world has come to realize it is also a problem that threatens human welfare, socio-economic advances, productivity, social cohesion, and even national security. HIV/AIDS reaches into every corner of society, affecting parents, children and youth, teachers and health workers, rich and poor.

Extensive information campaigns are being mounted throughout the world to inform people about the dangers of AIDS. Information Specialists are utilizing a variety of communication tools and messages to create Public Awareness including TV, Radio, Newspapers, Seminars, Brochures, Billboards, Internet and Celebrities etc.

Now one of the important questions is whether the general public is passive or is it actively seeking information about HIV/AIDS? I believe the general public is passive about seeking information about AIDS. However, the public (U.S.) is aware of the HIV/AIDS prevalence. The individual has been the unit of analysis for a number of studies and treatises on communication effects and processes of social change. This orientation has been important, as all efforts necessarily involve individuals at some point, especially as discrete "targets" of educational and persuasive messages. In the specific arena of health communication, researchers have developed or adapted several theoretical models of individual-level change. These models, in turn, have been applied in numerous campaigns designed to achieve such effects as: a reduction in the intake of fats and cholesterol, a diminution in the use of tobacco and illicit drugs, the curtailment of drunk driving, and, in general, the adoption of health lifestyles.

During the mid-1980s many Americans misunderstood the risks associated with AIDS transmission. This widespread misunderstanding has been attributed the institutions of science, government, and journalism. The problem of disseminating accurate information about AIDS to the public was somewhat indicative of the problems of risk communication about health issues in general. All of these explanations at least partly indict the performance of mass media organizations. Yet none of the proponents of these criticisms suggest the extent to which mass media organizations are bound in certain relations that inhibit their ability to communicate risk.

It is not implied that mass media organizations should be exonerated for their flawed performance in AIDS coverage in the United States. It is suggested that the symbiotic nature of interdependencies in which news organizations necessarily participate importantly determines their ability to communicate information about risk. There is a strong need to take the help of recent emerging information technology that will be extremely helpful in addressing youth and influential elements of our modern society. With its help, the campaign will reach directly to schools, colleges, universities, offices, houses etc. and to every person of our society whom we want to address.

The other most important question is that will information campaigns be able to change the audience's attitudes and behaviors? My answer is yes. If they have received the campaign message in the right context, they will realize that it's not merely a commercial campaign but has a direct link to their lives and safety and if they ignore it they will suffer its consequences. They will soon learn how make sex safe with the consistent use of condoms (protected sex) to reduce the risk of contracting AIDS by a substantial margin. For example, an uninfected individual who has protected sex with an infected partner can reduce the probability that he or she will contract AIDS by about a factor of 10. Experts believe that consistent condom use is even more effective at preventing AIDS than is monogamy. We found that an individual who engages in protected sex with numerous partners has a much smaller chance of contracting AIDS than does a monogamous individual who does not use condoms. Brochures should be distributed among public places and local organizations should arrange seminars on various platforms to educate people. If norms allow, it may also be a part of education in a well-defined protective way.

From above discussion we can conclude that some serious work is being done on various levels against spreading of AIDS but still there is a vast vacuum amongst various regions of the World where no attention is paid to the problem. This is a global threat to humanity and needs a proper effective serious coordinative global campaign (like war against terrorism) to deal with this wide spreading devil. People want to know, interested to know but do not have sufficient resources a few regions in World have done some serious work but unfortunately the rest of the World is relying on international organizations and donors.

Cordec
Writingcampus.com