Media Professionals in Papua New Guinea Gather for Weeklong HIV/AIDS Training Course

Twenty journalists and public relations officers gathered on Monday in Lae, Papua New Guinea, for a weeklong training course organized by the Papua New Guinea Family Health Authority on HIV/AIDS and its effects on the country, Papua New Guinea's Post-Courier reports.

PNGFHA, a local nongovernmental organization, is conducting the course through its Information, Education and Communication project, in partnership with Morobe Provincial AIDS Council. The course seeks to provide journalists with statistics on HIV/AIDS, information on the country's HIV/AIDS-related laws, modes of transmission, gender roles and other topics to help them make informed decisions about how they report on the disease, the Post-Courier reports. The training course also aims to help reporters, community liaisons and public relations officials understand their roles in covering HIV/AIDS and how the disease could affects them, their families, their careers and society.

PNGFHA Executive Director Rhona Yabri said that media professionals have been seen as messengers of HIV/AIDS issues for too long, the Post-Courier reports. She added that journalists should be knowledgeable about the disease to provide accurate information to others and to live healthy lives (Gumar/Dorugl, Post-Courier, 4/15).