HIV, AIDS and stigma – inextricably linked.
Stigma is the feeling that someone or something ought to be shameful. Like beauty, it’s in the eye of the beholder. And the victims, in this case, are people who deserve support more than anything else. Sympathetic support and medical care – not judgement.
The negative stuff happens when people associate HIV and AIDS with being “bad”. Thing is, AIDS (HIV is the name of the virus that causes it) isn’t an issue of morality, only affecting 'bad' people who do 'bad' things. 40 million people in the world have HIV. In the UK and Ireland, it’s the fastest-growing infectious disease we’ve got.
Think about it – 40 million isn’t a number you can picture in your head. It’s hard to grasp. If everyone in London was HIV positive – everyone in every bus, shop and house, man, woman and child – then that would still only be one-fifth of the world’s total.
A lot of people don’t want to think about that, though. Because it’s AIDS. And AIDS, is, you know… nasty.
Think about it – 40 million isn’t a number you can picture in your head. It’s hard to grasp. If everyone in London was HIV positive – everyone in every bus, shop and house, man, woman and child – then that would still only be one-fifth of the world’s total.
A lot of people don’t want to think about that, though. Because it’s AIDS. And AIDS, is, you know… nasty.
‘The doctors told me to keep secret the fact that I was HIV positive. They said: “Why do these people come to the hospital? They’re just going to die.”’Amudha, 37
Stigma’s probably the biggest single barrier there is in working on HIV.
The effects of being stigmatised can be devastating for people who have HIV. You can probably imagine what it’s like to be rejected and scorned by schoolmates, boyfriends, girlfriends – sometimes even family – because of what? Because you’re sick. And on top of coping with the constant medication – every single day – and side effects and psychological pressures of being sick, you get grief from the people you really want to be helping you. Supporting you.
The effects of being stigmatised can be devastating for people who have HIV. You can probably imagine what it’s like to be rejected and scorned by schoolmates, boyfriends, girlfriends – sometimes even family – because of what? Because you’re sick. And on top of coping with the constant medication – every single day – and side effects and psychological pressures of being sick, you get grief from the people you really want to be helping you. Supporting you.
It's not just the individual
Stigma’s worse than just that, though. It stops us – all of us – from fighting HIV properly.
It undermines governments’ attempts to deal with HIV, health programmes, testing programmes and health education. It’s not just individuals who don’t like talking about it openly. Governments will often be just the same. And though countries like Senegal and Uganda have shown that open discussion of HIV can help beat it, some of us would rather just ignore it and hope it went away.
Think about all the pressure, all the hassle, all the abuse for infected people. You can understand, then, why stigma will make people not want to go for testing. They’re scared of being excluded or made to feel ashamed if they turn out to be HIV-positive. That’s something we can all understand.
It undermines governments’ attempts to deal with HIV, health programmes, testing programmes and health education. It’s not just individuals who don’t like talking about it openly. Governments will often be just the same. And though countries like Senegal and Uganda have shown that open discussion of HIV can help beat it, some of us would rather just ignore it and hope it went away.
Think about all the pressure, all the hassle, all the abuse for infected people. You can understand, then, why stigma will make people not want to go for testing. They’re scared of being excluded or made to feel ashamed if they turn out to be HIV-positive. That’s something we can all understand.
Get tested
Of course, the ultimate price of that is death. If you don’t get tested, you’ll never know you’re HIV positive. You’ll never get treated. Not only that, once you catch it, it can be ten years before you become visibly sick. That’s ten ignorant years you can spend infecting others because stigma made you decide not to get tested.
And for us? Well, you personally might not be at very high risk, but HIV is still an infection that anyone can catch. And that shouldn’t only affect how careful you are – it should make all of us more compassionate and respectful towards those who are living with it.
And for us? Well, you personally might not be at very high risk, but HIV is still an infection that anyone can catch. And that shouldn’t only affect how careful you are – it should make all of us more compassionate and respectful towards those who are living with it.
 |
|
|
Terms & Conditions © Christian Aid 2007