NEW YORK: In a nine-country survey released today, more than 40 per cent of respondents did not understand that AIDS is always a fatal disease.

The survey from the MAC AIDS Fund, a philanthropy set up by Estee Lauder-owned MAC cosmetics, involved 4,510 interviews conducted in the US, UK, Russia, France, China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. The release of the findings coincides with a Fund board meeting and comes in advance of World AIDS Day on Dec 1.

“The strength of the survey lies in its exclusive focus on issues related to AIDS, its span of nine countries and the fact that it poses frank, specific questions at a time when we need frank, specific answers to increase the effectiveness of our global response to the epidemic,” Nancy Mahon, Executive Director of the MAC AIDS Fund, said.

While most respondents believed that AIDS is always a fatal illness, many wrongly believed that a cure for HIV infection is available.

For instance, 59 per cent of Indians believed that a cure is available. In France, older adults were more likely than younger people to believe that the disease is curable.

In the US, African-Americans were more likely than whites to think there is a cure.

“From my perspective, the most important general finding is that we have not done a good enough job educating people about HIV — the facts and reality,” Dr Marsha Martin, director for HIV/AIDS programs in the Oakland, California mayor’s office, said.

Almost 50 per cent of respondents believed that most HIV-infected patients were receiving treatment, when in reality the figure is closer to 1 in 5, based on 2006 data.

However, education seems to help: in the UK, people with a higher education were more likely than those lacking a college degree to believe that most people with HIV go untreated.

The findings also highlight the prejudice, fear, and stigma that surround AIDS.—Reuters