Media’s function in Aids awareness highlighted

THREE-DAY WORKSHOP ON HIV BEGINS

THE media’s role in creating awareness about HIV/Aids was highlighted at the launching ceremony of the logo and website of the Qatar National Committee for Aids Prevention (QNCAP) yesterday.

The launch was followed by the opening of a three-day media workshop on HIV/Aids in Qatar.

Chairperson of the National Health Authority (NHA) and QNCAP, Dr Ghalia bint Mohamed al-Thani, speaking at the inaugural ceremony, said: “This is the first of a series of programmes that QNCAP has initiated with special focus on the media’s role, since it is an important information dissemination tool.”

“I’d like to also point out that even though this epidemic hasn’t penetrated our society to any notable extent yet, nevertheless we are taking measures to eliminate and prevent the disease from our society with the help of the media,” she said,

Quoting UN figures on HIV/Aids, Dr Ghalia pointed out that 39.5mn people tested positive for HIV in 2006, with some 17.7mn women and 2.3mn children under the age of 15 carrying the deadly virus.

“Out of these, 2.9mn people died of Aids, which is about 8,000 deaths and 14,000 infections every minute. The figures should cause some horror amongst us,” warned Dr Ghalia adding that in 2010 the total number of people with HIV/Aids would go up to 45mn.

“But the real danger lies in the culture of silence. QNCAP will only be able to help the vulnerable patients, if they come forward,” she said.

Earlier, the master of ceremony, Dr Elham Bader, welcomed the audience and highlighted the issues related to the disease, especially in close-knit societies and called for opening up of more public forums on the much-tabooed subject.

The guest speaker, Khadija T Moalla, who is the regional coordinator of the HIV/Aids programme in Arab States by UNDP, talked about the achievements that the campaigning has achieved in the Arab World so far.

The workshops over the next two days will cover basic facts about HIV/Aids, Aids in the MENA region and globally, sensitive issues in the media, best practices in media, group exercises and meetings.

The launch of the QNCAP logo saw a red ribbon, an international symbol of HIV and Aids awareness, attached to a stem with leaves. The leaves symbolise the social family system that exists in Qatar.

The website of QNCAP is www.redribbon.org.qa and is part of the global awareness campaign by National Family Partnership of USA.