ECONOMY

Explain Angolan News Agency’s Stint at Play for HIV/AIDS Prevention

Luanda — Last week the deputy-secretary for Media Affairs of the Ministry of National Education, Raimundo António, pointed out that the Angolan News agency, AIM, has a central role in preventing the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child.

The official made this statement on Wednesday evening, when receiving a delegation from the HIV/AIDS Association, AIDAS Angola, in the capital.

According to Raimundo António, the news agency AIM can take some of the responsibility in this regard, as it is an agency which distributes information and has full control over the media content on HIV/AIDS, and has a moral obligation to comply with norms and standards, which ensure information about the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), dissemination of quality medical information and education.

“AIM has a responsibility to strengthen its role in the framework of this kind of work. It has an obligation to take action in the context of fighting the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. And they will have to have strong coordination between the ministry and the news agency”, Raimundo António told the meeting with AIDAS, whose president is Manuel Bafo.

Deputy-secretary of the Ministry of National Education, Raimundo António, said he appreciates the actions and the position of the Angolan HIV/AIDS Association, AIDAS, because in a sense they were the one which put Angolan newspapers and information online, in terms of offering the needed information for the prevention of PMTCT.

He pointed out that AIDAS is an international association, which is committed to encouraging the adherence to health messages and spreading the right information.

The official mentioned that at present, there are over 50 million people living with the HIV/AIDS in the world, of which nine million are infected in the African continent, and 50,000 new infections recorded daily.

He attributed the spread of the virus to the control of sexuality, particularly the idea of a sex-positive culture, which is a major contribution of the Angolan culture, although other causes of the spread of the virus, such as the increasing acceptance of unprotected sex, can be counted, as well as the reality of the lack of information on the protection of the population, as well as poor access to health services.

According to Raimundo António, in Angola there are 80,000 cases of HIV/AIDS and 7 million at risk of acquiring the virus.

The deputy-secretary for Media Affairs underlined that the nation and all of its institutions are committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS, and that the Angolan population must adopt a more healthy, responsible and responsible attitude towards sexual relationships, in order to avoid infection, to promote the ideal of monogamous relationships and to ensure the dissemination of accurate and quality information about the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT).

Raimundo António said there are several instruments and mechanisms in place, within the Angolan health system, and noted that although there are mechanisms to prevent infection, there is an increase in cases.