By Deus Ngowi
HIV/AIDS issue is insignificant in Maine, as very few people suffer from it and yet they get adequate health services and hence live for decades.
Speaking to visiting Tanzanian journalists at the headquarters of Bangor Daily News (BDN), Michael J. Dowd, who is the Managing Director of BDN, said the figures are very low, so that there is no need to carry such articles regularly.
Dowd was responding to a question of a journalist who wanted to know,as their social responsibility, if they had made a study to establish the extent to which people are affected geographically and gender wise.
Dowd said sometimes back they carried on articles relating to HIV/AIDS but now there is no necessity as people are not affected. He said also that if one dies of AIDS the paper does not mention the disease s/he has died of, unless one was on the forefront, as an activist against the pandemic.
However, the Managing Editor pointed out that Bangor Daily News carries out news and feature articles related to HIV/AIDS in Africa and other most affected areas.
Commenting on the same, BDN Health Repoter, Meg Haskel echoed what was earlier said by the ME in her absence, adding that it is very rare to hear of a HIV/AIDS victim's death.
She said that regardless of small number of those affected, healthcare services are available in time and adequately, so that the victims live for decades. However, she was of the view that the number of those affected must been rising in the state, although not to an alarming rate.
According to Maine Health Forum, the first AIDS diagnosis in the state was made in 1982 and since then, 975 Mainers have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, about half of which have died. As of February this year, it asserts, about 1,200 people in the state live with the disease.
The report compiled by Dr. Dr. Burgess Record, says that many people do not talk or think about HIV/AIDS in the state, but the fact is that, the report goes on, communication and education are keys to defeating HIV/AIDS, and the more you know about HIV/AIDS, the less likely you are to get the disease.
“According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four people infected by HIV do not even know they have it. This is one reason why the infection continues to spread.
“HIV/AIDS can be prevented. While there is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are effective treatments. Many patients lead active and productive lives. Learn all you can about HIV/AIDS to protect yourself and your loved ones. If you have been infected by this virus, learn how stay healthy. Take the time to learn about HIV/AIDS and how you can reduce your risk for the disease,” the report reads in part.
Such situation of Maine is different from the Tanzanian one, because in Tanzania there are daily campaigns run by non governmental organizations, ministry responsible for health, religious institutions and even media to fight the disease.
There is at place in Tanzania, a special commission – Tanzania Commission for Aids TACAIDS) and under the ministry of health there is National Aids Control Program. Furthermore, there are different associations formed just to fight the vice, one of which some Tanzanian journalists in an exchange program in Maine now are members. It is called Association of Journalist Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT).
While in Maine, as it is on record, people do not like to speak of this pandemic, in Tanzania many people, even pupils speak of it and adverts on the effects of the vice are on the increase at an alarming rate through radio, televisions and even to a small extent, newspapers.
Some of people living with HIV/AIDS have come up and declare their situation, and some have formed their associations, so as to help reduce the rate of infections.
According to Global Health Report, by the year 2007HIV/AIDS in Tanzania which had a population of 39,384,223 people by 2007, it had 1,300,000 people estimated to live with HIV/AIDS by the end of the said year.
In an effort to see every Tanzanian goes for voluntary counseling and testing, President Jakaya Kikwete unveiled the exercise by himself and his wife Salma, testing. Some cabinet ministers and members of parliament did the same.
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