This is a figure that stands out in the latest study carried out by Ifop for Aides (French Association for the Fight against HIV and Viral Hepatitis): 40% of French people surveyed believe that the risks of being contaminated by the AIDS virus are not significant, compared to 14% in 1988.
And in this sample, we learn that among those under 25, more than one in two young people consider that the risks of being contaminated with HIV or of being sick with AIDS are low (51% of them).
“A balance to find” on the perception of the virus
“Today, young people can say to themselves: ‘It’s not as serious as before.’ Medical and social advances unfortunately sometimes have a counterproductive effect of reducing vigilance. remarks Camille Spire, president of Aides. There is “a difficult balance to find”she adds, between the necessary need to reassure oneself in the face of developments regarding HIV positivity in particular, and at the same time, avoiding “zero fear, “we don’t care””.
Because HIV remains, despite all the medical progress on the subject, still present in the lives of the French. According to the latest figures from Public Health France, “the number of HIV seropositivity discoveries in 2022 is estimated between 4,233 and 5,738”. The fact remains that the number of contaminations has decreased enormously in twenty years. In 2018 alone, there were more than 6,000 new HIV-positive people.
This does not mean, however, that the population has all the information on the subject. “We are observing a decline in knowledge and an increase in false beliefs among young people”deplores Caroline Janvre, psychologist and sexologist, trainer in sexuality education, and worker with the Actions Stratégies association, which takes care of patients living with HIV.
“We talk less about HIV, apart from during key events like the 1is December (World AIDS Day) or the editions of Sidaction »she regrets. The impact is twofold: “Young people have erroneous representations of the virus, are sometimes less likely to get tested, and at the same time, this makes people living with HIV invisible. »
As a result, they are less and less capable “to distinguish between an HIV-positive person and a person suffering from AIDS”reveals the Ifop study for Aides: this is the case for 53% of 25-34 year olds. At the level of the general population, “61% of French people knew this difference in 1988, there are less than half today (49%)”.
Sex education classes not applied
“There is a lot of prevention work to be done: on the part of public authorities, to have major communication campaigns on this subject, to support associations that do field work with populations at risk, and to respect the law in sex education terms »Camille Spire list.
“The rule is three sessions per year and per level since 2020. Today, it is estimated that only 15% of establishments put them in place”deplores Caroline Janvre. Hence the interest, according to her, in expanding prevention and investing in other youth environments: “In sports clubs, places of socialization and parties. »
Prevention that must be “combined”estimates the sexologist. “Apart from condoms, there is regular screening, post-exposure treatments or even preventive treatments in the event of risky practices… So many means to avoid contamination. »
In the absence of sufficient prevention, the risk is of course a reduction in protection. According to a recent study by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the use of condoms in Europe, 61% of boys say they used this means of protection during their last intercourse, compared to 70% in 2014. For girls, this rate goes from 63 to 57%.
Related News :