Document 0236
 DOCN  M9590236
 TI    Patient-to-patient transmission of HIV in NSW--the public response.
 DT    9509
 AU    Tomkins M; Gold J; Harvey-Sutton P; Nelson M; Wu J; Albion Street
       Centre, Surry Hills, Sydney.
 SO    Annu Conf Australas Soc HIV Med. 1994 Nov 3-6;6:289 (unnumbered poster).
       Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ASHM6/95291863
 AB    OBJECTIVES: To assess public reaction to the announcement in December
       1993 of a case of patient to patient transmission of HIV in New South
       Wales by monitoring calls to the NSW HIV/AIDS Information Line. METHODS:
       Numbers of calls to the NSW HIV/AIDS Information Line after the
       announcement were compared to numbers of calls on the same days one year
       earlier. Calls that were identified as being prompted by the
       announcement were categorised by sex and sexuality of caller and content
       of call. RESULTS: The announcement led to a significant increase in
       calls to the NSW HIV/AIDS Information Line over a two week period. The
       majority of callers, although prompted to call by the publicity
       following the announcement, requested information on the possibility of
       non-health care modes of HIV transmission, including sex, barbers,
       hairdressers, beauty salons, swimming pools, mosquitos, ear piercing,
       tattooing, needle-stick injuries and social contact. Half the callers
       were female, compared to the usual pattern of callers in which two
       thirds are male. Other reports have noted increased numbers of women
       callers after intense media publicity about AIDS. Of the callers who
       identified their sexuality, the overwhelming majority were heterosexual.
       This is in keeping with our understanding that the majority of callers
       to general HIV information services are those who are perceived to be at
       low risk and those who do not identify with a community which provides
       peer education about HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Despite many years of public
       awareness campaigns, there appear to remain deep-seated and irrational
       fears of HIV in large sections of the public which have been brought to
       the surface by the announcement of a very specific, isolated incident of
       HIV transmission. In our opinion this again demonstrates that public
       awareness of HIV is not the same as public education which would ensure
       that people are confident about the modes and risks of HIV transmission.
 DE    Community-Acquired Infections/TRANSMISSION  *Disease Transmission,
       Horizontal  Female  *Health Education  Hotlines  Human  HIV
       Infections/*TRANSMISSION  Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice  Male  New
       South Wales  *Public Opinion  Risk Factors  MEETING ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).