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Last Wednesday afternoon, a 28-year old office worker came to the counseling service center at the Korea Federation for HIV/AIDS Prevention. He said he was worried he had AIDS. "What are you concerned about?" A counselor with the federation asked. He answered, "I had unprotected sex with a prostitute. Since then, I have been feeling feverish, and I had a rash on my arm once. I think it's AIDS symptoms."
"Have you ever taken an HIV test?"
"Yes. It was negative, but I¡¯m still worried about HIV infection. I had phone counseling more than 20 times and I researched AIDS on the Internet. I think there was something wrong with the negative result."
¡ß Not taking no for an answer
Myths about the Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome are rampant on the Internet, with the result that more and more people are afraid they may have AIDS or be infected with the HIV virus that causes it. One female college student says she worries she has HIV after breaking up with her boyfriend, who is said to have been promiscuous. She takes HIV tests every month, even though all have been negative.
An official with federation for HIV/AIDS Prevention recalls other uninfected people who wept as they asked for help due to their fears about AIDS. ¡°Quite a few people just won¡¯t believe the negative result,¡± she said. The number of people who use the federation¡¯s counseling service has soared from 8,110 in 2004 to 13,480 in 2006. The number of people who visit the center more than doubled between 2005 and 2006.
The phenomenon amounts to a syndrome in itself: AIDS infection phobia. People with the phobia are likely to take repeated HIV tests and counseling from different sources to relieve their anxiety. They tend to doubt the test results and keep asking if results show any difference.
One 38-year-old has had more than 30 AIDS tests in hospitals and public health centers since last year. Every test comes back negative. But he said, "I always fear I¡¯m infected. I think any fever or even stomach fat is symptom of AIDS." People who used the federation¡¯s counseling service more than twice took up 32.4 percent of visitors in 2002, but that increased to 58 percent in 2005. The increase in the number of people who have the test also suggests that AIDS infection phobia is rampant. In 1999, only 45.3 percent of people who sought counseling took the AIDS test, but 71.7 percent did in 2005.
¡ß Misinformation
Experts point out that a glut of dubious health information plays a key role in AIDS infection phobia. A counselor with Korean Alliance to Defeat AIDS said, "Some 80 percent of people who seek counseling have not engaged in any risk activity. Most of them overreact to unfounded information about AIDS."
AIDS infection phobia ¡°comes from an over-generalization whereby people identify their own experiences with groundless rumors about AIDS,¡± says Prof. Whang Sang-min, a psychologist at Yonsei University. ¡°These days, many people regard AIDS as the symbol for all sexually transmitted diseases, and that¡¯s why they overreact."
Some blame the government's AIDS awareness policy. "The government fostered an excessive sense of fear during the 90s to prevent the spread of AIDS,¡± an official with the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. ¡°The recent phobia is a side effect from that publicity." Weak self-esteem also plays a part. An official with Korean Alliance to Defeat AIDS said, "There are a few people who almost want to get AIDS because of stress in the workplace or fears about unemployment."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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