World Health & Population

World Health & Population March 2005 .doi:10.12927/whp.2005.17652

Half Baked HIV/AIDS Knowledge: Blessing or Curse?

Zewdu Woubalem

Abstract

I argue that educational efforts in Ethiopia have been partially handicapped because they have primarily focused on elevating risk perception by emphasizing how AIDS is fatal and contagious. This emphasis contributes to stigmatizing behavior by generating irrational fears directed at people with HIV/AIDS. Given the synergy between AIDS-related stigma and the spread of the disease, educational campaigns should be modified to reduce stigma in conjunction with providing basic knowledge about the disease.

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