A high level team from the Caribbean Epidemiological Center, CAREC is in Belize to increase and expand the awareness of Aids, making it clear that it is more than just a health, crisis, it is a social and economic issue. Today, they took that message to two towers of power: the cabinet and the media. The discussions with Cabinet focused on the collision course between Belize's economy and its Aids problem. After that session, the CAREC team headed to the Radisson hotel in Belize City for a meeting with the media, where they did not relent from the hardline: that this is a real time crisis. And what was the media's reaction? Well, here it is.
Rodel Beltran Pererra, Alliance Against Aids
"If we don't do it as a people, we're going to be stuck here in the next eight to ten years in the same position. As a member of the media corp., we have a responsibility to report everything guys when it comes to HIV and Aids. Mek we do this thing together. Let's do it together."
That was the long and short of the challenge Executive Director of the Alliance Against Aids Rodel Beltran Perrera issued to the media this afternoon. Pererra was speaking to newspaper writers, radio and television reporters at a luncheon on the media and HIV/Aids. For most of the session, Pererra and Ambassador for Aids Dolores Balderamos took a backseat while we tossed around the question of what exactly is our role in the fight. How should the media cover it? Well all agreed that the stories like that of Sarita from last week can help but it is not enough. James Madeira from the Caribbean Epidemiological Center says the media shouldn't try to shock people into changing their sexual behaviors because it won't work.
Jones Madeira, Information Adviser - CAREC
"Given the type of invincibility that these young people feel, sometimes shock really doesn't make a difference; when you speak to them of death that is not the thing that scares them. In any event, HIV and Aids is no longer a death sentence. People are living longer. We have been working with people living with HIV and Aids, who've been infected, for ten to fifteen years, and they are becoming more productive so the shock is temporary. What has to be done is action needs to be taken to ensure that when people are informed, they have an understanding of this epidemic. That is that it is caused by sexual contact, it is caused by multiple partnering. It is caused by behavior that if possible is risky and one has to tackle the behaviors. All these are things that are important in informing and educating people about HIV, not an instant shock and one that dissipates and disappears. Today is shock, tomorrow is nothing."
The team from CAREC leaves tomorrow.
