Yesterday's posting about HIV activities at Mae Tao clinic uncovered a couple of highly prevalent myths about HIV in Burma / Myanmar that were carried out of the country by people who had contact with the HIV programme in Mae Sot.

Myth number one: "There is some HIV-AIDS education within Burma, but it is only delivered by NGOs like UNICEF, mainly on TV." Jokes about the 'world's biggest NGO' aside, UNICEF is not a nongovernmental organisation. It is not the largest HIV education organisations in the country. Anyone who states that most HIV education is done by television doesn't see all the work that is done within key populations at higher risk such as injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men. It is good that the people who only see HIV education on TV are not reached as they are at much lower risk.

Myth number two: "Sickness immediately after "poisonous blood transfusion" assumed to be "inexplicable sick(ness)" (AIDS)." Any sickness immediately after receiving a blood transfusion is certainly NOT due to HIV. There are many reasons for not feeling well after a blood transfusion. Symptoms of HIV disease usually appear years later.

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