The Role of ICT in Halting and Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS

The Role of ICT in Halting and Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS

By Laura Wilder
Recent development discourse has recognised the need to both contain and control the spread of HIV/AIDS across many poverty stricken countries. In 2000, as part of the developed world’s initiative to eradicate poverty the UN outlined eight different goals that needed to be met in order for poorer countries to develop, they were named the ‘millennium development goals’[1]. The sixth goal was concerned with ‘Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases’. Although Malaria and other diseases arguably receive a lot less attention from scholars than the HIV/AIDS epidemic does it is arguable justifiable considering that nearly 40 million people in the world suffer from HIV/AIDS and the annual infection rate for 2004 was nearly 5 million[2]. The following articles from a range of different sources are all related to the role ICT has or may have in helping fulfil to the Millennium development goal of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. ICT is helping disseminate information more rapidly across marginalized areas of the world through the mediums of radio, television and the World Wide Web. Although marginalized peoples are now able to access a large number of sources providing accurate information regarding the disease they are equally now able to access a number of out of date or incorrect information as well. This means that the use of ICT to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is a contentious issue. I have recognised five main aspects/themes where ICT is used to try and fulfil the goal of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, these are: prevention, education, treatment, information and gender.
Prevention
Many of the articles found focused on this aspect of HIV/AIDS, this is probably due to the fact that HIV/AIDS cannot be cured and is fatal, and therefore it is of particular importance that the spread of the disease is combated by preventing people from catching the disease in the first place. The following articles outline various ICT initiatives throughout the developing world with the aim of preventing people from catching HIV/AIDS.
Reference / Medium Used[3] / Annotation
BBC (2005), ‘Caribbean HIV/AIDS radio spots’, 22nd August (accessed 02.12.05) / Radio / This article discusses how the BBC World Trust along with the Kaiser network and Viacom have produced HIV/AIDS radio programmes to promote responsible sexual behaviour. The programmes, broadcasted via the BBC World Service and the intention is to lower the HIV/AIDS infection rate amongst the young, who are most sexually active. This collaboration is the first time 2 different media organisations and a health foundation has joined together to fight the disease. The programmes would perhaps be more useful to a greater variety of people if they were available in a variety of languages.
BBC (n.d.), ‘Angola: HIV and AIDS Radiospots’, (accessed 02.12.05) / Radio / This article describes how the BBC’s world service program has conducted a series of focus groups on Angolan youth to find out whether or not radio programs can help to reduce the stigma surrounding HIVAIDS. The focus groups have allowed the world service to produce 16 different programs that run practically nation wide to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. The programs have also collaborated with Angolan celebrities such as footballers, who have spoken on the programs to hopefully make the programs more appealing to listen to. In order to prevent the marginalisation of certain groups within Angola the programs are to be broadcasted across the whole of Angola and translated into local languages.
Benotsch, E. G., Kalichman, S. and Weinhardt, L. S. (2004), ‘HIV-AIDS Patients’ Evaluation of Health Information on the Internet: The Digital Divide and Vulnerability to Fraudulent Claims’, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, pp. 1002 – 1011 / Internet / As briefly mentioned in the introduction of this bibliography HIV/AIDS patients are able to access a wealth of knowledge via the internet. Whilst enabling patient’s access to a wider range of information the internet also opens sufferers up to the possibility of obtaining mis-information, this study sort to assess the information available on the internet regarding HIV/AIDS. The results also revealed that those who are less literate are more susceptible to not recognising incorrect information. It also revealed that those socially and economically disadvantaged are also more likely to not be able to access the information of any description due to the so-called ‘digital divide’.
Bessinger, R., Katende, C. and Gupta, N. (2004), ‘Multi-media campaign exposure effects on knowledge and use of condoms for STI and HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda’, Evaluation and Program Planning, 27 (4), pp. 397 – 407 / Multi-media / This study, conducted in Uganda, used information from the 1997 and 1999 Delivery of Improved Services for Health (DISH) to examine whether or not HIV/AIDS prevention was being aided by the introduction of behaviour change communication (BCC) campaigns. It found that multi-media may be the most successful way of improving people’s sexual health knowledge especially in regards to the use of condoms as a way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Jones, C. (1996), ‘AIDS in an Historical Perspective’, (last accessed 21.11.05) / Radio / This website documents a two-part radio program that discusses the historical perspective of AIDS in relation to Syphilis. It discusses how people’s responses to AIDS have been similar how they reacted to the Syphilis outbreak in the 1600’s. The purpose of the programs was to try and find out what approaches work best when dealing with the public’s perceptions of disease, especially ones that are classified as venereal diseases. This should then enable more appropriate responses to HIV/AIDS to be established.
Montazeri, A. (2005), ‘AIDS knowledge and attitudes in Iran: results from a population based survey in Tehran’, Patient Education and Counselling, 57, pp.199 – 203 / TV and radio / The results of this survey carried out in Iran, revealed that the majority of people had positive attitudes towards those with HIV/AIDS. It also revealed that the most influential body informing these opinions were different mass medias including TV and radio. However it is likely that the results of this study were biased as the majority of those interviewed were married and educated perhaps neglecting to reflect the attitudes of those who did not fit into these categories. The method used to conduct this research; short questionnaires may also not have been the most appropriate one, as finding out the true attitudes of people is not very easy to do in a short space of time.
UNAIDS (2005), ‘Intensifying HIV Prevention’, UNAIDS Policy Position Paper, UNAIDS, Geneva / ICTs in general / This article gives a general overview of various initiatives that have been introduced as part of a program of ‘Intensifying HIV Prevention’. It mentions that as AIDS is a disease of the ‘information age’ its tools should be used to fight the epidemic. It argues that the key forces of spread are ‘denial, inaction, ignorance, stigma and discrimination’ but that all of them can be overcome with the introduction of communication technologies and utilising all forms of media. It argues that the key to success of ICT projects lies with the ability of projects to be informed by government policy and be respectful towards the different cultures that the disease is occurring in.
UNESCO (2004), ‘Latin American Students to be trained in Producing HIV/AIDS Prevention Messages’ (accessed 07.11.05) / Internet / Discusses how 20 Argentina schools will participate in a range of workshops as part of a ‘Youth Communication and HIV/AIDS Prevention’ project. Part of a larger young media space program that will allow the project to use its website too allow it to have regional dialogue. Will be available to all schools and crucially unlike many websites that contain knowledge for people the site will be translated (or translatable) to Portuguese as opposed to English, which most web pages are available in. The projects merits include being youth friendly, which should have lasting effects for the HIV/AIDS epidemic for years to come.
UNESCO (2004), ‘Workshop on AIDS Prevention in Bamako’ (accessed 07.11.05) / CD-Rom / This article discusses the impact that the first INFOYOUTH event in Mali’s capital Bamoko has had and talks about the relative merits of a CD-ROM that has been produced in conjunction with the event. Its purpose is to educate people about how to prevent them catching HIV/AIDS. The project has the aim of meeting the most marginalized of people like people in remote rural areas. The target audience for the project is young people in order for the CD-ROM to hopefully have as big an impact as possible on the future generations as possible.
UNESCO (2005), ‘UNESCO’s Response to HIV and AIDS’ at (last visited 25.10.05) / Tele-communications (ICTs in general) / UNESCO’s main focus is on preventing people from catching HIV/AIDS. The organisation does this using many diverse activities to encourage the development of ICT in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. One such initiative is a scheme aimed young people to help educate them on AIDS related issues using communication technologies, which promote awareness and understanding of AIDS related issues. It also plays an important role in education training teachers how to effectively teach through distance learning. Secondly the article outlines projects UNESCO runs to help media professionals portray the epidemic more accurately by sensitising the problem of HIV/AIDS.
UNESCO (2005), ‘Communication, Information and HIV/AIDS’, (accessed 12.11.05) / Internet / UNESCO provides funding for a variety of ICT related HIV/AIDS projects. The organizations approach to information and communication to help eradicate HIV/AIDS is split into prevention and treatment of the disease. In order to prevent people from catching HIV/AIDS UNESCO run a number of aggressive and awareness campaigns and in terms of treatment of the disease. UNESCO has undertaken a number of projects to train media professionals in how to report HIV/AIDS more accurately and effectively. This particular article provides links to various case studies, a review of each can be found in the rest of this table.
UNESCO (2005), ‘HIV/AIDS Media Training Starts in Cameroon’ (accessed 07.11.05) / Radio / Reviews a new initiative in Cameroon to train the media and others about the science behind the HIV/AIDS epidemic using ICT. The review looks at how community radio practitioners can be trained to use their radio slots to convey messages of awareness. It discusses the usual problems organizations have in trying to set up HIV/AIDS programs such as lack of finance and stigma attached to those with the disease then goes on to discuss how this project is overcoming them by using radio as a more appropriate ICT medium than the Internet. It discusses that unlike other projects that use ICT for this purpose, it has had relative successes at reaching those in rural communities due to it using the medium of radio.
UNESCO (2005), ‘Young TV producers network in Asia on HIV/AIDS’ (accessed 07.11.05) / Television / Reviews the work of 11 young documentary filmmakers from 8 different Asian countries on a film for VCCT (Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing) who met up for a workshop in New Delhi for training. Collaborations between UNESCO and AIBD (Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development) to enable quality TV programming on HIV/AIDS in the region. The films were to be put onto DVD format for wider publication.
USAID, hhtp:// (last visited 25.10.05) / GIS technology and radio / Outlines how ICT is the key to fighting HIV/AIDS through various different channels. The article claims that the spread of HIV/AIDS can be combated using GIS technology to track and map the extent of the disease so that resources can be focused in most needed areas or areas that are potentially under threat. The article concentrates on measures that prevent people from catching HIV/AIDS using both the latest media technologies such as GIS surveillance as well as older more accessible technologies. The article uses the case study of a Malian radio station that has been successful in spreading preventative measures on HIV/AIDS.
Ward, D. (2001), ‘New Themes out of Africa’, Guardian, 11th September, accessed from / Video-conferencing / This article discusses how Jeremy Atkinson, a deputy head teacher from a Manchester school, thought of the idea of introducing a video conferencing link between South African and British schools after visiting the country. It was hoped that the setting up of this ICT technology would allow pupils from the schools to have interactive PSHE lessons where they could compare their lives and discuss various PSHE topics. Two schools decided to focus their discussion of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Jeremy Atkinson also helped to facilitate improvements in the provision of ICT equipment to some schools in the Pretoria region of South Africa through funding from the BT schools award package.
World Bank (2002), ‘Fighting HIV/AIDS through Strategic Communications’, (accessed 04.12.05) / Tele-communications / This brief article discusses how the World Bank has implemented a program aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and preventing the spread of the disease. The project involved 5 African countries; Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia participating in the distance learning course through the Global Distance Learning Network. Its aim was to help NGO’s and health ministries operating in the countries by providing effective, strategic communication programs such as public service messaging broadcasts via radio and the television.
Education
One of the key themes that emerge when discussing how to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS is education. The disease has had a profound effect on the education systems of many developing countries with huge numbers of teachers being HIV positive in many countries where the disease is rife. Educating people how to have safe sex, as well as providing them with other information regarding the disease is one way in which the spread of the disease can be reduced.
Reference / Medium Used[4] / Annotation
BBC (n.d.), (accessed 02.12.05) / Multi-media / This article discusses how Digital Dimension, a tri-media project run in Bangladesh is using ICTs to combat the all of the UN’s Millennium development goals[1]. It argues that everyone has the right to access information and that if the goals are to be met then the dissemination of that information must be done effectively.
DeGuzman, M. A, and Ross, M. W. (1999), ‘Assessing the application of HIV and AIDS related education and counselling on the Internet’, Patient and Education Counselling, 36, pp.209 – 228 / Internet / Although this study was carried out in the developed US state of Texas, it does reveal some interesting results from its study regarding the use of the internet for counselling HIV/AIDS sufferers. As is the case with most education and counselling initiatives in developing world this study found that those most of need of the services had the most problems accessing the internet and therefore the services. The overall results of the study did however suggest that counselling HIV/AIDS sufferers via the internet was worthy of additional development.
Dube, L. (2005), ‘Insights into the Diffusion of HIV/AIDS Information in Higher Education Institutions in South Africa’, The International Information and Library Review, pp. 315 – 327 / ICTs in general / This article explores how information about HIV/AIDS is disseminated amongst higher education institutions in South Africa. The use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to find out this information ensured that the study was carried out accurately and thoroughly. The article also offered an interesting insight into the many difficulties associated with the diffusion of HIV/AIDS information, which includes the stigma surrounding the disease and the lack of resources available to implement information dissemination programmes. It also highlights how higher education institutes could pool together resources if they became networked and learned to communicate more effectively.
E-learning (n.d.), ‘1st Annual Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training’, (last visited 01.11.05) / ICTs in general / This article explores how the concept of e-learning can help reduce the problem of a skills shortage in the health profession in Africa. It discusses how the HIV/AIDS epidemic has caused their to be a skills shortage due to many doctors and nurses falling susceptible to the disease and also how many nurses physically unaffected by the disease have not been trained in how to treat the disease. It highlights how cultural problems of disseminating information about the disease are failing to reach both victims of the disease and health care professionals who treat people with the disease. More specifically it suggests ways that the concept of e-learning can distribute quality HIV/AIDS information and provide ARV information to a wide range of people at relatively low cost.