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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.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
