Rod: New HIV campaign targets early detection
Anyone who shows symptoms of a viral infection outside the flu season and has had unprotected sex in the weeks before should see a doctor. The federal government's new HIV campaign is aimed at early detection of the disease.
"Most people experience symptoms similar to influenza shortly after contracting HIV," the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said Monday. These should be taken seriously. The new "Love Life" campaign by Rod Kommunikation focuses on newly infected people, because the HI virus is very contagious, especially in the first few weeks. In addition, an immediate therapy could possibly contribute to the fact that the virus causes less damage to the immune system.
The FOPH is launching the new campaign together with the Swiss AIDS Federation and the Swiss Sexual Health Association. Radio spots and advertisements are used to appeal to people to consult a doctor if they experience flu symptoms after unprotected sexual intercourse.
Broad criticism of last campaign
Last year's "Love Life" campaign attracted a great deal of public attention: the film was viewed over a million times, and the website attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. The "Love Life" manifesto has been signed over 178'000 times. It had succeeded in keeping HIV and safer sex as an important topic in public discussion, the Federal Council had written in a report in the fall of 2014. But the campaign also triggered widespread criticism. The Future CH Foundation took issue with the "highly sexualized" content of the posters. Parliamentarians also complained that they did not have a good influence on sexual development. After various complaints, the campaign was even taken up by the Federal Administrative Court. The court did not stop the "Love Life" campaign for the time being. The judges argued that it was questionable whether the campaign posed a danger to children and young people. The decision is an interim ruling, the final verdict will follow. (SDA)
