Microsoft Word - AMICS-29Jan2013 - Childinfo.org

Knowledge About HIV Transmission and Misconceptions About HIV and AIDS
One of the most important prerequisites for reducing the rate of HIV infection is accurate
knowledge of how HIV is transmitted and awareness of strategies for preventing transmission.
Correct information is the first step toward raising awareness and giving young people the tools
to protect themselves from infection. Misconceptions about HIV are common and can confuse
young people and hinder prevention efforts. Different regions are likely to have variations in
misconceptions although some misconceptions appear to be universally widespread (for
example that sharing food can transmit HIV, or that mosquito bites can transmit HIV). The UN
General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) called on governments to improve
the knowledge and skills of young people so as to protect themselves from HIV. The indicators
to measure this goal as well as the MDG of reducing HIV infections by half include improving
levels of knowledge of HIV and its prevention, and changing behaviours to prevent further
spread of the disease.
The questions on knowledge of HIV were asked to women 15-49 years of age. One indicator,
which is both an MDG and UNGASS indicator, is the percentage of young women who have
comprehensive and correct knowledge of HIV prevention and transmission. The comprehensive
and correct knowledge of HIV prevention and transmission include being able to:
correctly identify two ways of preventing HIV infection (having only one faithful
uninfected partner and using a condom every time one has sex);
know that a healthy looking person can have HIV, and reject at least two of the most
common misconceptions about HIV transmission (transmission via mosquito bites,
sharing food with someone with AIDS, or by supernatural means).
In the AMICS, all women who had heard of AIDS were asked questions about HIV prevention
and transmission. The results are presented in Table 12.1.
Table 12.1: Knowledge about HIV transmission, misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, and
comprehensive knowledge about HIV transmission
Percentage of women age 15-49 years who know the main ways of preventing HIV transmission, percentage who know that a healthy looking person can have the AIDS
virus, percentage who reject common misconceptions, and percentage who have comprehensive knowledge about HIV transmission, Afghanistan, 2010-2011
Percentage who
know
Percentage who know that HIV
transmission can
cannot be transmitted by:
be prevented by:
Region
Percen
-tage
who
have
heard
of
AIDS
Having
only one
faithful
uninfect
ed sex
partner
Using a
condom
every
time
Percentage
of
women
who
know
both
ways
Percentage
who know
a healthy
looking
person can
have AIDS
Mosquito
bites
Supernatural
means
Sharing food
with
someone
with AIDS
Percentage who
reject two
most common
misconceptions
and know that
a healthy
looking person
can have AIDS
Percentage
with
comprehensive
knowledge 1
Number of
women
Central 43.3 21.1 20.7 13.0 24.2 19.7 35.7 26.6 7.4 3.2 3,696
Central
Highlands 9.5 4.5 4.6 2.8 5.7 3.4 5.5 4.3 0.6 0.3 714
East 26.8 18.8 16.7 11.9 17.6 9.0 19.7 12.5 2.5 1.3 2,153
North 17.6 9.3 9.4 5.8 11.9 5.4 12.9 8.8 2.7 1.0 2,876
North East 14.7 7.8 7.2 4.5 7.9 5.6 11.7 7.5 1.6 0.2 3,752
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