Increased need for counselling services

As a basic understanding of AIDS deepens in South Africa, people are increasingly seeking counselling services to learn how to live with the virus, a new survey has found. Research conducted by the Centre For AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE) between 2000 and 2003 showed that although the number of calls to the national AIDS Helpline had decreased, there had been an upsurge in requests for information about ways to cope with the virus. CADRE researcher Warren Parker said the shrinking need for basic information was due to heightened awareness about the modes of HIV transmission in recent years. "As the epidemic advances and more people test positive for the virus there is an inclination to move beyond simple awareness towards learning about ways to live and cope with the infection. There has also been a massive drive by the government and NGOs to step up awareness campaigns, which cuts the need for basic information," he told PlusNews. With more than 5 million people infected, it is estimated that about 600 South Africans die of HIV-related illnesses each day. Earlier this year the government embarked on a countrywide rollout of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), but critics have pointed to the slow pace of delivery. The survey said the decline in callers using the Helpline was due to a number of factors, including initial poor promotion of the service. The call-in facility is a collaborative effort between the health ministry and international partners that provides basic HIV/AIDS information and counselling in South Africa's 11 official languages. It uses a referral database to direct callers to local service providers as needed - for example, face-to-face counselling, condom distribution points, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services and clinic services. While a significant number of callers were comfortable with disclosing their status over the telephone, it remained unclear whether this could be linked to a growing acceptance of HIV- positive people in broader society. "Some inroads have been made into reducing the stigma associated with HIV, but we cannot say for sure that this development is the main reason why people feel free to disclose. The anonymity of the service is probably more responsible for this," Parker said. But Helpline's information and database coordinator, Susie Clark, said the ongoing stigma associated with people living with HIV/AIDS continued unabated. "There are some horror stories about people who have suffered because they have gone public about being HIV positive, but stigma, we find, is related to the social conditions in which the person lives. Disclosing in a rural area is very different compared to acknowledging one's status in an urban setting, such as Johannesburg, but it also depends on the kind of the relationships one has with family, friends and the local community," Clark said. She added that although Helpline had initially been mainly thought of as an information outlet, over the years the service had provided ongoing counselling services. Plans were underway to make people aware that the service also provided counselling assistance. "With call volumes reaching nearly 6,000 a day, it is important that we provide all aspects of information. We still have requests from people who do not know how to use a condom," she said.