The National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Council ()NAC) has today the 23rd of August 2018 kicked off media trainings on Key Populations with Lusaka based journalists pioneering the countrywide programme.
NAC Acting Director General Mr. Fortune Chibamba who opened the two-day training urged journalists to initiate dialogue around the subject of HIV by constantly including the subject on their respective editorial agenda in order to contribute to the national and global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
He reminded participants drawn from different media houses in Lusaka Province that HIV and AIDS had significantly evolved from the time it was perceived as a death sentence to the present when it is considered as any other chronic health condition.
Mr Chibamba appealed to media practitioners to help eliminate stigma against persons with HIV as it acted as a barrier to universal access to HIV and AIDS services.
“We have moved from the times when if one was diagnosed with HIV, they were simply consigned to home based care where they were given high energy proteins as they awaited death. This situation is no longer the case as treatment is now readily available for prolonged quality life,” Mr Chibamba said.
NAC decided to conduct media training on Key populations following a flurry of distorted media reports on key populations sometime mid last year. The trainings are supported by different partners, who include ICAP, FHI 360 Open Doors Project, International Organisation for Migration and SAFAIDS Zambia.
At the same training, NAC in conjunction with AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF) announced the 2018 Media Best Reporting Awards covering the following categories; Best Radio Publication, Best TV Publication, Best Print Publication, Best Editor, Best Media House, and Best Online Publication.
AHF Advocacy and Policy Manager Ms Chitimbwa Chifunda made the announcement of the Awards whose receipt of entries ends on October 31st 2018.
Compiled by NAC Communications Unit.
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