From: kyig6809@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Kenneth Yerro Ilio )
Subject: AIDS and the Filipino medical student
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 19:11:54 GMT

In 1991, a nongovernmental healh agency conducted a survey
among 480 medical and 480 nursing students from six universities
in Metro Manila to assess current levels of knowledge and
perceptions toward AIDS; sexual attitudes and sexual practicies.

The results showed some gaps in the knowledge about HIV and
AIDS within this important sector of Philippine society.

Among medical students, themost frequent erros were in the
following areas:

A little Less than 20 percent knew the number of HIV positive identified
individuals in the contry (about 200 presently).  1/3 gave a higher
number, while  13 percent chose lower figures.  36.5 percent said they
didn't know.

Only 22 percent knew that HIV is less infectious than hepatitis B;
almost half thought both were equally infectious while a quarter thought
AIDS ismore infections than hepatitis B.

About 2/3s of the medical students knew that a negative result on an AIDS
test can occur even for people who carry the virus.  A fifth thought
the statement was false while about 12 per cent said they didn't know.

On the mode of transmission of the disease, medical students generally 
fared well but there are still some glaring misconceptions that 
persist:

Almost half (45.4 percent) believe that AIDS can be contracted through
deep kissing (there is a theoretical risk but no documentation as of
yet e.g transmission by saliva).

7% believe that mosquitoes can transmit HIV while 9 percent were not
sure or didn't know.

More than half (54%) still believe that a person can be infected by
donating blood.  

About a fifth (20.7 %) believe that femal to male transmission of the
AIDS virus occurs more often than male to female transmission.  

Among the nursing students, the information gap is much sharper, even
at higher levels than that found in a survey among non-medical and
non-nursing students:

More than 90% did not know the official number of AIDS cases identified
  in the country.

Only 43 per cent knew that a negative result on AIDS test can occur even
for people who carry the virus.  The virulence of the virus teneded
to be over-estimated.

A majority (66%) believe that a person can get AIDS by donating blood;
17 per cent believe that AIDS can be transmitted by mosquitoes (and 
another 17 percent gave 'don't know' as an answer).  A quarter
believed that AIDS transmission occur more in female to male route
(plust another 37 percent who said they didn't know).  A full 1/3
believed that a person must have many different sexual partners
to be at risk from AIDS.

While most nursing students believe that vitamins and antibiotics
cannot prevent HIV infection, only 72 percent disagreed with the
statement that 'withdrawal immmediately before orgasm prevents
AIDS infection'.


Among the conclusion of the survey are the following:

While the knowledge levels of the students are fairly acceptable
given the lack of public information going around, perceptions
about AIDS can be a source of concern.  Generally, the students
look at AIDS as a serious problem in the country (more than half
said very serious) and believed that the government's effort
at prevention and control of AIDS to be seriously lacking. Less
than half of the students had been exposed to the Department of
Health's information campaigns on AIDS and those who had been
exposed said that televsion plugs were their source of information.

The students' evaluation of their school's input on AIDS education
was fair:  about 15% of the students said that AIDS information
(in courses) was seriously lacking.  

The report further says that the students' response to HIV and AIDS is marked by a tendency toward scapegoating:

About a quarter of the students believe that if the US military
bases are removed from the Philippines,"we will no longer
have to worry about AIDS."

Regarding particular groups to be blamed for the spread of AIDS,
98 per cent pointed at least one group, and the response is more
skewed toward locals than foreigners:  the groups that tended to
be blamed more often were prostitutes and homosexuals.  US
servicemen, foreign tourists and bisexuals tened to be blamed
less often.  Other groups blamed (e.g. students listed): drug
users, 'promiscuous people' (described as nymphomaniac, 
hornytoads), overseas workers, balikbayan and blood donors.

This tendency toward scapegoating was carried to extreme:  almost
half of the students agreed that people with AIDS should be
kept in isolation ... (despite expert scientific opinion 
considering this to be a nonproductive measure).
\
Students do feel the threat of AIDS in relation to themselves (about
40 percent considered it a very real threat).

Despite these fears though, it is very encouraging to note
that most of the students said they were willing to attened
to a patient with AIDS although more than half of them
qualified, "willing but with some reservations".

'yun lang ...

;
-- 
Kenneth Yerro Ilio
Veterinary Biosciences             Life is a foreign language 
University of Illinois at          Every man has mispronounced it. 
  Urbana Champaign                            -- Carlos Bulosan 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.filipino