A hotline counselling service educates the public on HIV/Aids while helping those infected

Story by KORAKOT SURIYA-ARPORN & Photo by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK

WhenThailand detected its first Aids victim in 1984, few Thais had
a clue about it. And 25 years later, with more than one million people
suffering from HIV/Aids, few still have a clue about it.

Apart from the fear of deep social stigma, people have a lot of
misunderstandings about the disease and little awareness on self
protection. And that is the challenge for the hotline service Aids
Access Foundation.

Set up in 1991, the hotline service is part of Aids Access's
advocacy campaigns to provide accurate information about the disease
and and instil public empathy for people with HIV/Aids. Its activities
are funded by the Public Health Ministry, international organisations
and local donations.

Due to the stigma, most patients hide their sickness and do not
know where to turn to, said Aids Access Director Nimit Tienudom.

"What the patients most need is a chance to talk with someone
who is willing to listen to them," he said. "Through the hotline
service, we can reach out to them and guide them toward a way out, not
just letting them helplessly drift and figure it out on their own."

The
phone counselling service keeps the callers anonymous and their
information confidential, which makes the callers feel secure and able
to talk freely. This secrecy principle is extremely important since the
callers' lives could be jeopardised, said Nimit.

The hotline service is not exclusive to people with HIV/Aids,
he added. It is open to everyone seeking information and help for their
relatives and loved ones.

According to the Disease Control Department, Public Health
Ministry, about one million Thais have become HIV positive in the past
20 years, with about 560,000 of them dying of Aids. New infections last
year were around 14,000. One-third are young women and housewives who
get infected by their partners through unprotected sex. One-fourth of
the newly infected are men who had unprotected same sex. Again, the
main culprit is "unprotected" sex.

Much of the problem stems from a lack of understanding about
the disease and possible preventions, said Kamondhej Sowanna, home-care
service officer and hotline staff member.

Inadequate information and misunderstanding often result in
risky behaviours among the youth who do not realise the importance of
safe sex until it is too late.

Lack of state support for effective campaigns for safe sex is
also to blame. The state budget has been reduced by half over the
years, and has not been used to promote condom use among youths, he
added.

According to the World Health Organization, less than five per
cent of adolescents are being reached with adequate HIV/Aids prevention
services in Thailand. Moreover, around 85 per cent of Thai youths have
no awareness of the disease, even though most are at risk of becoming
new cases themselves.

Reflecting lack of accurate information, many people wrongly
believe that Aids can be transmitted through mosquito bites. The
hotline staff, said Kamondej, receives hundreds of callers asking this
same question.

Instead of dismissing misinformed callers, the staff urges the
callers to think about the real risk - sex without condoms.

"Most callers fail to realise that some of their behaviours are
potentially an HIV threat. They believe Aids will happen to only those
who regularly enjoy the night-life. In fact, the culprit is unsafe sex,
which more often than not happens in a relationship when one fully
trusts the partner," he added.

It is no surprise, therefore, that the newly infected are
mostly young females who had unprotected sex. According to the World
Bank Social Monitor on Youth, over 40 per cent of deaths among young
females aged 15 to 29 in 2004 was caused by HIV/Aids, which remains the
main cause of death for young females. At its core is gender
inequality, which makes girls reluctant to ask their partners for
condom use, fearful of appearing sexually experienced.

New female Aids patients keep going up in numbers. In Thailand,
it previously was a six-to-one ratio of men and women patients. Now
it's two-to-one, commented the Aids Access director.

Whether in the past or now, what the hotline staff need are not
only facts about Aids, but psychological savvy to handle tough calls;
many are suicidal when they call.

"The staff needs to detect and understand the emotional state
of every caller and tactfully talk to them," he said, pointing out the
importance of staff training.

The staff, all volunteers from various backgrounds, work in two
shifts - 10am to 3pm, and 3pm to 8pm - with six counsellors per shift.
All have training in counselling techniques, correct knowledge on the
facts about HIV/Aids, and most importantly, are never judgemental.

Aids Access Foundation now has about 30 volunteers. Unfixed
schedules, however, still cause a shortage of staff during some time
slots. The foundation recently held a workshop to attract more
volunteers.

"Come join us. This is something we can all chip in to help
stop Aids from spreading further," said Nimit.

"We need to understand HIV/Aids correctly. We need to be more
open about sex and make sex education more widespread. If that happens,
we will see less Aids threats," he added.

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