Social vaccine for HIV prevention: a study on truck drivers in South India.

Nearly everywhere that AIDS has been found, HIV infection is fast spreading. No one is known to have recovered from HIV infection. There is no vaccine to cure AIDS (Population Reports, 1989 and The Hindu, dated 9.3.2000). Until a cure or vaccine for HIV infection is found, the only way to prevent the spread of the disease is by changing people's behaviour through AIDS education programmes (Population Reports, 1986). Many national governments are using broadcast, print media, personal contact, counselling methods, etc., to educate people on AIDS and safer sex. Thus, the best vaccine is the 'Social Vaccine.' Social vaccine involves spreading education on how to protect oneself, hundred percent condom use, and changing sexual behaviour. In fact, the social vaccine was so successful in Thailand that the infection rate has come down by 50 per cent (The Hindu, dated 9.3.2000). Truck drivers, prostitutes, and young adults are considered high risk groups for HIV/AIDS in India. An action research study was conducted in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh (India) among truck drivers. As part of this study, different strategies, namely mass media, personal contact, group discussion, folk media, and counselling, were adopted to provide AIDS education, to encourage increase in condom use for safer sex, and bring changes in their sexual behaviour. The strategies adopted in this study greatly enhanced the knowledge of the truck drivers on AIDS, changed their attitudes on sex, increased the use of condoms, and modified their sexual behaviour. Thus, the social vaccine would help spread education on AIDS, bring changes in the sexual behaviour of the people, increase condom use, and thus help to prevent the AIDS scourge throughout the world. The social vaccine suggested in this study can also be extended to all the high risk group population for successful prevention of this dreadful disease in the world.