Awareness Fatigue

Awareness Fatigue

I didnt include HIV/Aids in my title because you probably wouldn’t have read it. But, now I’ve got your attention.

On the December 1 people across the globe mark World Aids Day. South Africa still reports one of the highest rates of HIV/Aids infections in the world. Despite this, South African’s display a high rate ‘Aids awareness fatigue’, a term used to describe an attitude uninterested and tired of hearing about HIV/Aids. This is more than likely caused by an overload of HIV/Aids information over an extended period of time, and the need to protect ourselves from the huge cost and devastation the pandemic has caused to us as individuals and as a nation.

Although Aids has been described as ‘stable’ in South Africa, HIV infections (which causes Aids) continue to be reported. The need therefore to continue giving young and old people information about the virus remains important.

So yes, you might be tired of hearing or talking about HIV/Aids, but the reality remains that people you love are still infected, affected and at risk of contracting the virus. The bottom line is we need to change people’s sexual behaviour.

This starts at home, at schools, at clinics and in our general conversations and behaviours. Our children learn from the things that we do and say, and not from a poster or pamphlet (that just causes awareness fatigue).

Encourage your children to use protection and get tested regularly. Show your children that you have been tested. It’s as simple as teaching your children to brush their teeth.