PROGRAMME TITLE: THE WAY WE ARE
BROACAST DATE: MAY O6, 2006
BROADCAST TIME: 1815HRS-1830HRS
PRESENTER: NED ELUE / MONISOLA AJIBOYE
PRODUCER: ‘MUYIWA OJEKUNLE
CUE IN & OUT: “What I knew about HIV/AIDS…reduce our population in Africa.”
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NED: It is not whether people have heard about HIV/AIDS, but the information people have passed around to others and what deductions they have made in terms of interpreting such messages.
There’s a lot of myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS going round and as young people, there’s a lot to talk about on the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in our society as well as providing you with the correct facts and information.
It is your right to know about issues that touch you directly or indirectly, now or later and since all young people like you have a right to know, there’s so much we’ll be sharing on THE WAY WE ARE.
THE WAY WE ARE is a 15-minute enlightenment programme that focuses on HIV/AIDS, the challenges and aspirations of people living with the virus, as well as societal acceptance of the epidemic. Simply put then, this is the only platform where views are heard.
Today, we focus on the common myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS in our society.
I am NED ELUE, welcoming you alongside pretty MONISOLA AJIBOYE to THE WAY WE ARE.
MONISOLA: Hello…
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CUE IN & OUT: “I don’t know anything about it.”
NED: It’s sad that some young people  still do not know anything about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but they are at the center of it. I say this because half of all new HIV/AIDS infections are occurring amongst young people, the most sexually active group. However, learning to protect yourself, sharing information, dispelling myths and misconceptions, tackling stigma in the community is where young people can contribute most, especially in providing correct information on HIV/AIDS.
Take for instance the misconception that HIV is transmitted by mosquitoes…how true is this, MONISOLA?
MONISOLA: Well, that’s untrue. Mosquitoes are so selfish that when they bite somebody they only secrete their saliva into the blood system and then reserve the blood in them.
And then, go on to another person to secrete the saliva. So mosquitoes cannot pass on HIV virus. It’s not true.
NED: Clear-cut, when mosquitoes bite a person, they do not inject the blood of a previous victim into the person they bite next. What they do inject into their victims is the saliva that carries diseases like malaria or yellow fever. So, you cannot be infected with HIV from a mosquito bite. Now MONISOLA, having been tested positive for how long now?
MONISOLA: Since 2001.
NED: Alright, I believe you should be in the better position to tell us your own preconceived notion as to myths and misconceptions of the HIV/AIDS.
MONISOLA: Yes…earlier on, the view…the kind of view media project about HIV/AIDS has led to a lot of myths and misconceptions. Like, they show people that are already skinny, looking pale and you know, almost close to their graves. That makes people think if you see someone that’s so skinny, that means that person is infected with HIV virus. That’s not true. It’s not everyone you see that’s skinny that’s infected with HIV virus.
And then, there’s this misconception that when you make love with a virgin, if you are infected with the virus and you make love with a virgin, you get cured of the virus. It’s not true…that’s not true.
There’s also another misconception that when you touch somebody that is positive, share the same utensils with the person, sleep on the same bed…sleeping on the same bed in the sense that, sharing the same bed with the person, you get infected. It’s not true. You can only get infected by sharing sharp objects with someone that is HIV positive and taking unscreened blood. You can also get infected from the mother to her unborn child.
NED: To elaborate further, some people have obviously said that sleeping on the same bed and sharing utensils or even clothing accessories, they could contact this virus. How true is this?
MONISOLA: That’s not true. The HIV virus can only exist in the human blood. It cannot exist outside the human blood. Like I’m positive and I’m preparing my meal and I have a cut and my blood spills out, the HIV content in it can only stay alive for some few seconds because its life span lives in blood…the human blood. That is why it’s called Human Immune- deficiency Virus. It can only live in human beings.
NED: You’re still on to THE WAY WE ARE, the platform where views are heard and accurate information on HIV/AIDS are disseminated. Now let’s hear other views…
CUE IN & OUT: “For me, I’m scared…that’s what I heard.”
NED: Indeed, lack of adequate knowledge about issues leads to misconceptions, which in turn leads to the development of myths…let me put it this way, most of the myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS grew out of lack of adequate knowledge of the disease.
So, how can we do away with all these myths and misconceptions, Monisola?
MONISOLA: By educating ourselves. Getting adequate information…the right information about HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is not a disease. It is a virus. It’s not a virus that can be contracted by sleeping on the same bed, sharing the same utensils, sharing the same towels. Somebody once told me “I know someone who is HIV positive and she’s sharing my towel with me and I hope she won’t infect me?” I let that person understand that you cannot get HIV through that means. So, we need to educate ourselves and moreover, the first view the media projected about HIV positive people also leads to misconceptions and myths. They show people who are already dead and skinny and close to their graves.
NED: Taking into cognizance what the media must have projected, I think the clear-cut situation is that people lack adequate knowledge and are misinformed…
MONISOLA: We have to educate ourselves by knowing how one can contract HIV virus and also prevent him or herself from being infected. We also have to know the basic facts about HIV/AIDS, that is, if one is infected and wants to get married to someone that’s not infected, the procedures…what one has to know, then one should visit the voluntary counseling and confidential testing centers, which are all around the general hospitals in Lagos Island.
So, the bottom line is educating ourselves, knowing what HIV/AIDS is all about…most of the time,  you’ll find people give sensitization talks on HIV/AIDS, sharing booklets and handouts. Try and get one of these booklets, read it to know what HIV/AIDS is all about so that you can prevent yourself from being infected and if you are infected, you can also access treatment.
NED: And I think there’s also the issue of communication. People should get more interested in wanting to find out and wanting to read.
; And…here’s a word of advice…
CUE IN & OUT: Sex is the…make sure you play safe.”
NED: Yes…HIV/AIDS is preventable. It is in your hands to choose to protect yourself by seeking accurate information on HIV/AIDS to challenge the myths and misconceptions in our society and establishing new norms. Know today that more and effective public knowledge about the issue of HIV/AIDS is essential to combat false ideas that are sabotaging prevention and treatment strategies.
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NED: That’s how its been on this enlightenment edition of THE WAY WE ARE…hope you’ve been well-informed and educated. Keep a date with us next week for another HIV/AIDS related issue. THE WAY WE ARE has been a MUYIWA OJEKUNLE PRODUCTION in collaboration with the POSITIVE YOUTHS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA and NigeriaHIVinfo.com
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