Most Would Work With A.I.D.S. Victim (Press, 16 August 1989)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Most Would Work With A.I.D.S. Victim (Press, 16 August 1989)
A recent McNair survey conducted for the Health Department’s A.I.D.S. task force reveals that 51 per cent of New Zealanders surveyed are open to working alongside someone who has A.I.D.S. Only 17 per cent were opposed to this idea, while the remainder were undecided. The survey was designed to gauge public attitudes across different regions, including a provincial city, a provincial town, and a rural area, providing a comprehensive view of opinions nationwide. Mrs Lorraine Kerse, a member of the A.I.D.S. task force, highlighted that female respondents were more supportive of working with A.I.D.S. sufferers compared to their male counterparts. The overall findings of the survey were largely positive, showing that with adequate education and clear company policies, workplace prejudice against individuals with A.I.D.S. would be minimal. Kerse noted a noticeable decrease in misconceptions regarding A.I.D.S. transmission, with fewer people believing that the virus could be contracted through kissing or sharing utensils. Among the respondents, 51 per cent expressed willingness to participate in support groups for colleagues with A.I.D.S., and nearly 55 per cent felt that individuals with A.I.D.S. should receive community care instead of hospitalisation, provided that was their preference. The survey revealed that general knowledge about HIV transmission is relatively high, with 98 per cent of respondents acknowledging that the risk of contracting HIV can be reduced by limiting sexual partners, using condoms, and avoiding the sharing of needles. However, Mrs Kerse noted that it remains unclear how this knowledge translates to actual behaviour, prompting the department to plan a more extensive population-based survey to explore this aspect further. In response to these findings, the Employers' Federation is set to release a guidebook for employers detailing strategies on how to effectively manage A.I.D.S. issues in the workplace, underlining the importance of informed and supportive work environments.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand