Toll-Free AIDS Hotlines Open in 2 African Nations
Originally published by Reuters Health, August 22, 2001
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — Two African countries hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic have launched toll-free hotlines that provide callers with the latest and most accurate information on the disease.
The hotline in South Africa, an updated version of an existing AIDS Helpline, has been up and running since July 30. The nation has more people living with AIDS than any other country in the world, with an estimated 4.7 million HIV-positive individuals.
Nigeria, which has 2.6 million citizens living with HIV, launched its own hotline on Tuesday.
The Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and the US Agency for International Development helped both nations to set up the services.
The South African hotline now receives about 20,000 calls each month. With a staff of 68 counselors speaking 11 languages and working around the clock, the service has the capacity to handle up to 200,000 calls monthly.
Most calls are from young people, according to AIDS Helpline manager Pamilla Mudhray. Thirty-nine percent are aged 15 to 19 and 45% are 20 to 29. Sixty percent are male. Most callers ask about HIV testing, how the disease is spread, and condoms.
The South African government worked with the JHU/CCP and the local non-governmental organization LifeLine to establish the new hotline.
"Not only do these hotlines provide the most current information on AIDS prevention and treatment, they also provide a caring voice that offers emotional support to someone infected with the AIDS virus," JHU/CCP Director Phyllis Tilson Piotrow said in a prepared statement.
Most callers to the Nigerian hotline have been older than 24 years of age, according to the hotline's executive secretary, Iwalola Akin-Jimoh, who notes that the hotline actually targets younger adults.
A partnership including the Lagos State HIV/AIDS foundation, JHU/CCP, and the local Youth Empowerment Foundation established Nigeria's hotline.
The phone number for the South African hotline is 27-11-0800-012-322. The Nigeria-based hotline can be reached at 234-01-772-2200 or 234-01-773-2201.
