<B>>Your new AIDS awareness campaign is wonderfully evocative and makes effective use of cult films to convey a very serious message. How did the idea come about?</B>

We wanted to do a real prevention campaign. The previous one focused more on communicating the modes of transmission and on raising awareness of the aids problem. The logical next step was for us to come up with a prevention message. We wanted to talk about more than condoms though. Hence, the ABC – abstinence, be faithful and condoms. We also needed to incorporate the slogan, “AIDS is a reality, be responsible”. What we didn’t want to use was fear and guilt. So we briefed the designers, Circus, and they did a great job of using cinema as a theme. We loved it at the very first glance.

<B>> Were you able to establish a correlation between your previous campaigns and an increase in voluntary AIDS testing?</B>

Usually, yes. It will be interesting this time to see if there is an increase in voluntary testing. We will ask a team of professionals to evaluate the impact of the campaign, which will be useful to see if the message has gone home and if it has succeeded in altering people’s habits. Condom manufacturers have also called me to say that they think the campaign is great.

<B>> A recent article in “La Vie Catholique” was quite critical of the campaign. Did you expect this type of reaction?</B>

I was expecting a reaction from the conservative wing of the Catholic Church but we should be careful not to generalise. Many Catholics are aware of the necessity of such campaigns. What surprised me is that the editorialist focused on the communal side of things by saying that the only billboard which doesn’t feature a condom, is the Bollywood film.

<B>> There has been a huge increase in AIDS transmission through sharing of syringes, so much so, that it has surpassed heterosexual sex as the main mode of transmission. Do you have any plans to tackle this issue?</B>

It will come in due course. 80%-90% of new cases have been infected through the sharing of needles. It’s spreading like bushfire. Up to now though, the majority of HIV/AIDS cases were caused by heterosexual sex. That’s why we have addressed that problem first. Unfortunately, the Dangerous Drugs Act does not allow for the distribution of clean syringes. We will have to fight for an amendment. By vilifying drugs, society has also vilified drug users. They are people who need medical help. The health authorities have an important role to play. Otherwise, Mauritius could face an infection rate similar to many African countries.

<B>> PILS has been around for eight years. What have you accomplished and what remains to be done ?</B>

Honestly, if we weren’t here, the situation could have been a lot worse. Our first victory was in 2001 with the access to antiretroviral drugs. The needle-exchange program and the fight against discrimination are our next priorities.