A worrying 10 per cent of the Maltese people are oblivious to the fact they can contract HIV if injected with a needle used by someone who has AIDS or is HIV positive, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey.
"The Maltese results are noteworthy since only 89 per cent believe that this way can lead to contracting HIV. Furthermore, it is even more painful to note that 10 per cent of them do not think it's a way of contracting the virus," the study remarked.
As World AIDS Day is celebrated tomorrow to raise awareness on a virus that surfaced in the early 1980s, it is also perturbing that nine per cent of Maltese still do not believe that "having sex without protection with someone who has AIDS/HIV" is a way of contracting the virus. Only 86 per cent replied correctly.
The special Eurobarometer on HIV/AIDS was carried out last year in the 25 member states, acceding and candidate countries, and presented by the European Commission last month.
It uncovered some good knowledge but some die-hard misunderstandings. Almost half (about 45 per cent) of all respondents think it is actually possible to be infected by sharing glasses or toilet seats with HIV-positive or AIDS patients, donating blood to them or taking care of them.
However, the vast majority of respondents are aware it is not risky to eat a meal prepared by infected persons, shake their hand or handle objects they have touched. European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said the Eurobarometer showed some progress in raising awareness of citizens on prevention of the virus, but more had to be done.
"We must not lose sight of the fact that HIV/AIDS is still one of the biggest preventable killers worldwide. I am most worried about the decreasing attention to prevention. We have to promote education, the use of sterile needles and syringes, and especially safer sex, as complacency leads, in particular among the young, to underestimate the potential risk," he said.
Marianne Massa, senior health promotion officer at the Health Promotion Department, said when contacted that the figures released were worrying.
"We do know that there is a section of the population which does not seem to be getting our message. We need to put a bigger stress on education, not just in schools, but also within the community," she said.
The department's message for World AIDS Day is getting back to the ABCD - Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms and Don't do drugs.
Malta was the only country of the EU25 where awareness about the risk of infection from needles used by someone who has AIDS or HIV did not go over the 90 per cent mark. The same pattern is observed for "receiving blood from someone who has AIDS or is HIV positive". All member states scored above the 90 per cent mark except Malta.
Again, only 86 per cent replied correctly by confirming that "having sex without protection with someone who has AIDS/HIV" is a way of contracting the virus.
Misconceptions among the Maltese continue: 16 per cent wrongly believe you can contract the virus by sitting on a toilet seat which has been used by an infected person and nine per cent believe you can become infected by shaking hands. At least, the Maltese fare well when it comes to the subject of giving blood and come out as well informed as the other Europeans that this is not a way of contracting HIV.
Malta is also the only new member state which scores above the EU's 70 per cent average for the number of people who know that "eating a meal prepared by someone who has AIDS or is HIV positive" cannot lead to contraction of the virus.
Malta also scores relatively high in awareness of the effectiveness of medical treatment and care of those with AIDS, with three quarters of its citizens emphasising the value of such treatments.