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JOURNALISTS have been challenged to practise what they preach and, through their behaviour as role models, earnestly join the fight against HIV and Aids.
Addressing journalists at a one-day workshop held at a Bulawayo lodge on Friday, National Aids Council provincial aids coordinator, Sinatra Nyathi said it was high time journalists joined the fight against HIV and Aids not only through their pens, but through their behaviour as well.
She challenged them to protect themselves from getting infected, urged them to get tested and also seek services that are being given to those that are living positively with the virus.
Nyathi urged scribes not only to get accurate information on the disease, but also give correct information and to reinforce positive behaviour change, among them disclosure of HIV status.
“Highlight the negatives like faith healing which make people stop taking drugs in the hope that they would be healed,” she said.
A number of lives have been lost after patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) defaulted after they were told by faith healers that they had been healed of the disease.
ART suppresses the viral load in some HIV positive patients so much that when they go for tests, antibodies would not be present in their blood and they deem themselves healed.
However, life-long adherence to treatment is critical to avoid fluctuations in viral load and drug resistance.
Journalists were also called on to network and collaborate with other organisations for them to publish reliable, evidence-based and factual stories to sustain momentum in the fight against HIV and Aids.
Online Reporter