Last but not least: Printer breakdown in Indonesia
Hundreds of posters from the Indonesian Ministry of Health in the capital Jakarta informed people that the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, can be transmitted through insect bites, swimming and sneezing. The outrage on the social web was enormous.
The reason for this misinformation was the meaningful word "not", which the printing company unfortunately forgot. As Pressetext.com writes, the company did not even approve the final draft of the posters before they were put up. This promoted prejudices that the posters were actually intended to counteract. In Indonesia, people who carry the HIV virus are still heavily stigmatized. "The ministry must carry out a massive and systematic awareness campaign to make up for this mistake," demands Aditya Wardhana, activist at the Indonesia AIDS Coalition, according to the press release. "We have publicly apologized and now the banners will be taken down and replaced with the correct ones," Muhammad Subuh, a health ministry official, reassures AFP. "They forgot the word 'not' - it was a sincere mistake." The printing company has also already apologized.
According to estimates by United Nations around 660,000 people in Indonesia are living with the deadly virus. However, there is little knowledge about transmission through blood or sex, even in the highest echelons of politics. In February, Rachmat Gobel, who has since been replaced as trade minister, is even said to have expressed the view that HIV could be transmitted through second-hand clothing. (uma)
(Teaser image: Pressetext.com)
