Prevention and treatment – Media Watch
ANC dome debacle: Media throws caution to the wind
The condom has once again come up against bad press after news reports claimed that a batch of government ‘Choice’ condoms, ordered from the national health department for the ANC’s centenary celebrations, was sub-standard.
Taking a more critical eye to media reports reveals that the bulk of the coverage has incorrectly given the impression that the condoms have been proven to be defective, when in fact they have yet to undergo laboratory tests.
According to countless news reports, thousands of condoms distributed to venues at and around the ANC centenary celebrations were recalled by the Free State Department of Health, after the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) received complaints from centenary celebrants that the condoms were prone to bursting and leaking.
A harmful cocktail: Alcohol and HIV
Over the past few weeks, media coverage has gravitated towards the potential follies of youth. This is unsurprising given that a new year means new beginnings for many young people still struggling to negotiate the dawn of adult independence.
However not all of this coverage has engaged with HIV where it could have.
The New Age and the Daily Sun highlighted HIV as it related to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Health MEC’s efforts at establishing a campaign to educate young women on the dangers of cross-generational sex or ‘sugar daddies’.
But Sunday’s (22 January) City Press featured a full page dedicated to the health risks of alcohol abuse among youngsters which was devoid of any mention of HIV.
Oral HIV tests less reliable than blood tests
The accuracy of increasingly popular HIV home-testing kits is under scrutiny according to a report in The Times.
A study, published in the Lancet online medical journal this week, revealed that the oral tests (which involve swabbing the inside of the cheek) are 2 percent less accurate at detecting HIV antibodies than tests that use blood.
According to the article, home testing has become extremely popular in countries like Kenya and Uganda where confidentiality of HIV test results is a problem.
And while 2 percent less sensitivity might seem negligible, when oral testing kits are being used by millions of people, inaccurate results (especially false negatives) are potentially significant, according to Mark Sonderup of the South African Medical Association.
City Press article could ‘ring’ true
On Sunday (22 January) City Press newspaper featured an informative good news HIV-story, which revealed that yet another promising female-initiated method of HIV-prevention is being tested.
However the article in the City Press does not consider this new development in light of the recent cancellation of the MTN VOICE microbicide trial or the wider controversy sometimes generated by the media in relation to clinical trials.
A few months ago The Times sported a rather depressing headline which seemed to sound the death knell for once promising HIV-preventative microbicide gels, when in fact the inefficacy of the VOICE trial represented one setback rather than the complete demise of vaginal microbicides on the whole as a viable way of preventing HIV.
HIV and obesity a weighty issue
According to articles published by Health-e and Drum Magazine a new trend of intentionally gaining weight is emerging amongst those living with HIV.
Doctors indicate that people engaging in this behaviour are trying to distance themselves from thinness, which is often associated with HIV and AIDS.
But people living with the virus need to be warned against the consumption of fatty foods because they can interfere with the absorption of ARVs.
