Preventing AIDS means dispelling misconceptions

Safe sex practices such as the use of condoms can reduce the rate of HIV infection and prevent AIDS, the disease linked to the HIV virus.

But promoting safe sex is problematic. First, you have to convince people that they run a risk of becoming infected with sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV.

“Even if we don’t have any cases in the North, because of the contact people have with the South, it’s not only in the North you can catch it. You can catch it in the South and from people who have been in the South,” said Dr. Serge Déry, director of public health in Nunavik.

People also have to see HIV/AIDS as a killer.

“Young Inuit frequently have the mistaken impression that HIV is a curable disease. It is our responsibility to teach our youth and all Inuit that, at this time, HIV is not curable,” said Veronica Dewar president of Pauktuutit, the national Inuit women’s organization, on World AIDS Day in Ottawa.

Many can confuse the idea of preventing HIV/AIDS with encouraging sexual activity, too.

“During the Arctic Winter Games, we had people upset because they thought we were promoting sex because we were promoting condoms,” said Ed Picco, Nunavut’s health minister, adding that the campaign, involving the distribution of “country food-flavoured” condoms, was very successful in reaching the public.

But prevention also costs money.

Since 1999, Pauktuutit has received money from Health Canada to spearhead an Inuit HIV/AIDS network, produce bilingual booklets on HIV and AIDS and organize other educational activities. Yet, many northern communities are still not implementing sex education programs in the schools, even with Pauktuutit’s materials and support.

“I have also been told that sometimes funds designated for prevention and awareness are being appropriated to cover deficits and to fill needs in other areas,” Dewar said.

It’s also hard to design prevention materials or campaigns when, due to the lack of statistics, you’re not sure which age or sex to target.

Health Canada says aboriginal people are “disproportionately affected” by HIV infection, having 4.4 per cent of the population and 14 per cent of reported AIDS cases in Canada for the first six months of 2002. But Health Canada admits its figures don’t reflect reality, and the rates may be much higher, because many test results don’t contain any “ethnic information.”

This also makes prevention more difficult, said Darren Greer, who works with Pauktuutit on its HIV/AIDS prevention campaign.

According to Health Canada, more Inuit men than women and more young men are being infected with HIV, so Pauktuutit is developing a pamphlet for Inuit men, and preparing information on HIV testing and why it’s important.

“You don’t want to scare people, but at the same time, you want them to protect themselves,” Greer said.