AIDS. The very mention of the four letter word sends a shudder down our body. HIV which devastated a large part of the human population in the 1980’s with almost 200000 reported cases worldwide in 1986 alone is something we are still fighting to come to terms with.
What has aggravated the situation is the tabooness attached to it.
People shun patients suffering from HIV and societal pressure forces one to live with this hell throughout one’s life. It is sad but true that despite the many measures taken by governments all over (which include introducing free HIV check) people are still queasy about going to the doctor for check up. Often people are worried that if they do go to the doctor their confidentiality will be broken and fearing societal stigma they decide against it.
In India free HIV check up clinics are available in most places. In fact the states of Goa and Punjab have decided to make it mandatory for people wanting to get married or for some specific jobs to get an HIV test done. Unfortunately, cases of people being tested without their consent or knowledge are common in Indian hospitals.
In one 2002 study, it was suggested that over 95% of patients listed for surgical procedures are tested against their will, often resulting in their surgery being cancelled. As a student on grounds of anonymity says: ‘when I leant about HIV and AIDS at a school program and told my mother about it she said I should keep quiet or the whole neighbourhood would shun me’ so deep lies the discrimination.
If we are to go a little further to US, the so called open society and a beacon of democracy the situation isn’t quite different. In fact until last year people suffering from HIV were denied entry to the country, though Obama has said he will look into changing this policy. Discrimination is also alarmingly common in the health care sector. Negative attitudes from health care staff have generated anxiety and fear among many people living with HIV and AIDS.
As a result, many keep their status secret. In UK too several trust like the Terrence Higgins Trust is trying to cope up with the AIDS issue and bring it to a more sensitized state by educating the general population. Current risk groups in UK are gay men and Africans and injecting drug users. However schools have come up with several programs and sensitizing workshops to educate teenagers about the risk of unsafe sex and drug pushing.
Ignorance leads to vulnerability but it is true that the government in most countries have woken up and are doing their best to extend sensitization and better medical treatment. For now we just have to let society removes it garb of stigma and help people affected by HIV to lead a safe and protected life and extend support to those who are still afraid to even get tested
