HIV/AIDS Public Health Campaigns in Italy

Last updated

Since the arrival of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Italy in the 1980s, 120,000 cases of people testing positive for HIV have been registered with the Ministry of Health. [1] Every year, 4,000 new infections are registered. [1] Since the 1980s, 58,400 diagnoses of AIDS have been recorded, of which 35,300 have resulted in mortality. [1] From the height of the epidemic in 1995 to today, the number of registered cases of AIDS has fallen from 5,600 to 1,200. [1] The decline in incidence of AIDS is directly attributable to the efficacy of combined antiretroviral drug therapy, which has resulted in an increase in the number of people living with the diagnosis. [1] The effectiveness of the drug therapy means that the 23,000 Italians diagnosed with HIV have better chances of not progressing to AIDS. [1]

Contents

Transmission

HIV transmission in Italy has changed over the years from primarily drug-related transmission to primarily sex-related transmission. In 1997, about 60% of registered cases of people infected with HIV were drug-related, 20% were transmitted through heterosexual contact, and 15% through homo- or bisexual contact. [1] In 2007, ten years later, the number of drug-related transmissions has decreased to about 28%, while heterosexual transmission has increased to about 44% percent and homo- or bisexual transmission has increased to 22%. [1]


The Italian Ministry of Health

Early campaigns

Carlo Donat-Cattin

Though HIV/AIDS arrived in Italy in the early 1980s, no widespread Ministry of Health campaigns related to the disease emerged until after 1988. [2] This is, in part, due to the attitudes and beliefs held by Italy's Minister of Health at the time, Carlo Donat-Cattin. Cattin rejected sexual education campaigns for public schools, fearing what discussion of anal sex would entail. [2] Furthermore, Cattin refused to speak with organizations of homosexuals because he did not want to speak with “perverts”. [2] Cattin has even been quoted in saying “from now on, only people who go looking for it, catch AIDS”. [2]

Francesco De Lorenzo

When Italy's Minister of Health changed from Donat Cattin to Francesco De Lorenzo in mid 1989, the official attitudes of the Ministry towards the HIV/AIDS epidemic changed as well. A new series of public health commercials for television were produced. These commercials provided the Italian public with clear and direct information about the prevention of transmission of HIV. A particular commercial shows a man and woman moving around each other, while a narrator explains that HIV/AIDS is not transmitted by kissing, shaking hands or sharing silverware. [3] The narrator continues to say that the infection is instead transmitted through sexual intercourse with a partner that already has the infection, and so it is best to avoid intercourse with unknown partners—but if intercourse is to occur, it is best to use a condom. [3] The narrator also explains that HIV is transmitted through infected blood, and so one should not use contaminated needles. [3] This commercial, produced under the auspices of De Lorenzo, was clear and informative. It did not veer from the use of the word “condom,” a word that would soon become taboo in discussing the epidemic in Italy.[ citation needed ]

HIV/AIDS Awareness Post De Lorenzo

After De Lorenzo stepped down from his post as Minister of Health in the early 1990s, it seemed that public awareness of HIV/AIDS diminished. One potential reason is the decreasing press interest in the epidemic. Due to the decline in the sensational nature of the topic, press coverage declined.[ citation needed ] The height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Italy (1995) occurred precisely during the time in which public awareness was at its lowest.[ citation needed ]

In the 21st century

A reemergence of HIV/AIDS public health campaigns on behalf of Italy's Ministry of Health occurred in 2002. [4] The Ministry established the objectives of raising awareness, avoidance of risky behavior and promotion of HIV testing for their 2002-2003 campaign. [4] Their target population was young people, women and the Italian population aged 14–65, especially those living in urban environments. [4] The Ministry used TV, radio, cinema, printed periodicals and events as means to promote their objectives, with the slogan of the year being “AIDS is Fought Together”. [4] Though the implications of the new campaign were very powerful, clear and direct information about condom use as a preventative measure is absent. The 2002-2003 campaign instead focused on a notion of solidarity.

The Ministry of Health's campaign against HIV/AIDS in 2004 was similar to that of 2002–2003. The slogan of the year, “Love for ourselves is the best protection from AIDS”, [4] again avoids direct information about preventative measures, including condom use. In 2005, the Ministry of Health did not focus on HIV/AIDS as a main prerogative, as it is absent from their public health campaign records. [4]

In 2006 information about the increase in rates of sexual transmission and the decrease in rates of drug-related transmission became more apparent. The Ministry of Health's discourse then turned more towards openly concentrating on preventing both homo- and heterosexual transmission. [4] This shift towards acknowledgement of homosexual as well as heterosexual activities is reflective of a change in attitude in Italian society.[ citation needed ]

The most recent Ministry of Health campaign has finally included the word condom in its main publicity. A television commercial produced on behalf of the Ministry and directed by Francesca Archibugi uses the phrase “Respect life, respect yourself and others, use a condom and don’t take risks in love” as its main counsel. [4] The commercial depicts a young heterosexual couple outside of a pharmacy in an airport. The two then enter the pharmacy to buy condoms and then go to catch their flight. Though the cinematography is simple, the narration that occurs throughout the commercial is impactful. Ambra Angiolini, an Italian celebrity recites, “a small act of responsibility can prevent a terrible disease”. [4] She continues by saying that in Italy every year there are about 4,000 new cases of HIV. [4] She finishes the commercial by advising viewers to use a condom [to/and] prevent transmission of HIV as well as other sexually transmitted infections [cite-MOH]. After a long period of avoidance of the word “condom,” the Italian Ministry of Health has finally reintroduced promotion of prophylactic use as a method of HIV/AIDS prevention.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe sex</span> Ways to reduce the risk of acquiring STIs

Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer sex or protected sex to indicate that some safe sex practices do not eliminate STI risks. It is also sometimes used colloquially to describe methods aimed at preventing pregnancy that may or may not also lower STI risks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases</span> Pharmacologic agents and chemical substances

Microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases are pharmacologic agents and chemical substances that are capable of killing or destroying certain microorganisms that commonly cause human infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bareback (sexual act)</span> Sexual penetration without the use of a condom

Bareback sex is physical sexual activity, especially sexual penetration, without the use of a condom. The topic primarily concerns anal sex between men without the use of a condom, and may be distinguished from unprotected sex because bareback sex denotes the deliberate act of forgoing condom use.

The Caribbean is the second-most affected region in the world in terms of HIV prevalence rates. Based on 2009 data, about 1.0 percent of the adult population is living with the disease, which is higher than any other region except Sub-Saharan Africa. Several factors influence this epidemic, including poverty, gender, sex tourism, and stigma. HIV incidence in the Caribbean declined 49% between 2001 and 2012. Different countries have employed a variety of responses to the disease, with a range of challenges and successes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Yunnan</span>

The People's Republic of China's first reported AIDS case was identified in 1985 in a dying tourist. In 1989, the first indigenous cases were reported as an outbreak in 146 infected heroin users in Yunnan province, near China's southwest border.

Angola has a large HIV/AIDS infected population, however, it has one of the lowest prevalence rates in the Southern Africa zone. The status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Angola is expected to change within the near future due to several forms of behavioral, cultural, and economic characteristics within the country such as lack of knowledge and education, low levels of condom use, the frequency of sex and number of sex partners, economic disparities and migration. There is a significant amount of work being done in Angola to combat the epidemic, but most aid is coming from outside of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Malawi</span> Impact of the immunodeficiency virus in the African nation

As of 2012, approximately 1,100,000 people in Malawi are HIV-positive, which represents 10.8% of the country's population. Because the Malawian government was initially slow to respond to the epidemic under the leadership of Hastings Banda (1966–1994), the prevalence of HIV/AIDS increased drastically between 1985, when the disease was first identified in Malawi, and 1993, when HIV prevalence rates were estimated to be as high as 30% among pregnant women. The Malawian food crisis in 2002 resulted, at least in part, from a loss of agricultural productivity due to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Various degrees of government involvement under the leadership of Bakili Muluzi (1994–2004) and Bingu wa Mutharika (2004–2012) resulted in a gradual decline in HIV prevalence, and, in 2003, many people living in Malawi gained access to antiretroviral therapy. Condoms have become more widely available to the public through non-governmental organizations, and more Malawians are taking advantage of HIV testing services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Mozambique</span>

Mozambique is a country particularly hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to 2008 UNAIDS estimates, this southeast African nation has the 8th highest HIV rate in the world. With 1,600,000 Mozambicans living with HIV, 990,000 of which are women and children, Mozambique's government realizes that much work must be done to eradicate this infectious disease. To reduce HIV/AIDS within the country, Mozambique has partnered with numerous global organizations to provide its citizens with augmented access to antiretroviral therapy and prevention techniques, such as condom use. A surge toward the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in women and children has additionally aided in Mozambique's aim to fulfill its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Nevertheless, HIV/AIDS has made a drastic impact on Mozambique; individual risk behaviors are still greatly influenced by social norms, and much still needs to be done to address the epidemic and provide care and treatment to those in need.

With less than 0.1 percent of the population estimated to be HIV-positive, Bangladesh is a low HIV-prevalence country.

UNAIDS has said that HIV/AIDS in Indonesia is one of Asia's fastest growing epidemics. In 2010, it is expected that 5 million Indonesians will have HIV/AIDS. In 2007, Indonesia was ranked 99th in the world by prevalence rate, but because of low understanding of the symptoms of the disease and high social stigma attached to it, only 5-10% of HIV/AIDS sufferers actually get diagnosed and treated. According to the a census conducted in 2019, it is counted that 640,443 people in the country are living with HIV. The adult prevalence for HIV/ AIDS in the country is 0.4%. Indonesia is the country is Southeast Asia to have the most number of recorded people living with HIV while Thailand has the highest adult prevalence.

Since HIV/AIDS was first reported in Thailand in 1984, 1,115,415 adults had been infected as of 2008, with 585,830 having died since 1984. 532,522 Thais were living with HIV/AIDS in 2008. In 2009 the adult prevalence of HIV was 1.3%. As of 2016, Thailand had the highest prevalence of HIV in Southeast Asia at 1.1 percent, the 40th highest prevalence of 109 nations.

Cases of HIV/AIDS in Peru are considered to have reached the level of a concentrated epidemic.

HIV/AIDS in El Salvador has a less than 1 percent prevalence of the adult population reported to be HIV-positive. El Salvador therefore is a low-HIV-prevalence country. The virus remains a significant threat in high-risk communities, such as commercial sex workers (CSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM).

Honduras is the Central American country most adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that the prevalence of HIV among Honduran adults is 1.5%.

Nicaragua has 0.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV-positive. Nicaragua has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in Central America.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ukraine is one of the fastest-growing epidemics in the world. Ukraine has one of the highest rates of increase of HIV/AIDS cases in Eastern Europe and highest HIV prevalence outside Africa. Experts estimated in August 2010 that 1.3 percent of the adult population of Ukraine was infected with HIV, the highest in all of Europe. Late 2011 Ukraine numbered 360,000 HIV-positive persons. Between 1987 and late 2012 27,800 Ukrainians died of AIDS. In 2012 tests revealed 57 new cases of HIV positive Ukrainians each day and 11 daily AIDS-related deaths.

The Catholic Church is a major provider of medical care to HIV/AIDS patients. Much of its work takes place in developing countries, although it has also had a presence in the global north. Its opposition to condoms, despite their effectiveness in preventing the spread of HIV, has invited criticism from public health officials and anti-AIDS activists.

HIV prevention refers to practices that aim to prevent the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV prevention practices may be undertaken by individuals to protect their own health and the health of those in their community, or may be instituted by governments and community-based organizations as public health policies.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV, first appeared in Croatia in 1985. By that point, major routes of transmission and the knowledge of the at-risk groups had been well described by epidemiologists. The first National AIDS Health Protection Programme had been established in 1983, even before the first occurrence of AIDS, with three major strategies: education, prevention of transmission through blood and blood products, and risk reduction.

Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) is a message used in HIV campaigns. It means that if someone has an undetectable viral load, they cannot sexually transmit HIV to others. U=U is supported by numerous health groups and organisations worldwide, including the World Health Organization (WHO). The validity of U=U has been proven through many clinical trials involving thousands of couples. U=U is also used as an HIV prevention strategy: if someone is undetectable, they can not pass it further and hence, prevents the virus from spreading. This is known as Treatment as Prevention (TasP).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 http://www.ministerosalute.it/hiv/paginaInternaHiv.jsp?id=198&menu=strumentieservizi. Italian Ministry of Health
  2. 1 2 3 4 http://www.radioradicale.it/exagora/aids-il-tragico-ritardo Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine . AIDS: The Tragic Delay by Benedetto Gaetano. June 15, 1988
  3. 1 2 3 "Spot 80 - Pubblicità Commissione Nazionale per la Lotta Contro l'Aids - Soggetto Bianco (1989)". Archived from the original on November 20, 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 http://www.ministerosalute.it/servizio/galleria.jsp?lang=italiano&id=544&dad=s&men=campagne07&label=voceAids. Italian Ministry of Health
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.