Almost everyday, we hear about AIDS and the virus that causes it, HIV, whether in school or at home or with friends or through the media. It has become a part of our lives, whether we want it to or not. It affects our lives either directly or indirectly. It maybe that a famous person who we look up to and admire has come out and announced that he/she is HIV-positive, such as Magic Johnson. It can also be that one of our family members or a friend or an acquaintance is HIV-positive. So how do we react to the news that someone we had put up as a role model is HIV-positive? Or how do we interact with a family member, acquaintance or friend who is HIV-positive?
Nowadays, as in the past, there is a social stigma associated with being HIV-positive. This is mainly due to ignorance. People do not know what HIV is or how it can be spread from person to person. As a result, people who are HIV-positive are most often avoided, mistreated and cast out from their societies. This is true of those who live not only in developing parts of the world but also in the developed countries, such as the United States. Since people do not know the modes of transmission, they jump to the conclusion that the virus can be contracted through simple social interaction. Many other misconceptions also sprout up and are not easily countered. For example, in the United States, there is still a strong association between being HIV-positive and being a homosexual, despite published research and public education that prove the contrary. In a lot of the developing countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, information is not as accessible as it is in the rest of the world. Education is also hampered by cultural barriers
The implications of being HIV-positive are many. One of them is that the person's family relations suffer. All over the world, many infected persons have been barred from taking part in aspects of family life. Some have been presented with a separate set of utensils for their own use. Others have been quarantined in their own homes - prevented from interacting with the rest of the family. There are also others who have not been as "fortunate" - when these infected persons inform their families of their status, they were cast out of their homes into the streets to try and survive on their own without any familial support whatsoever.
HIV-positive persons also risk rejection from society. Often, many infected people have hidden their condition from those they love and cherish because it was seen as shameful. They are seen as having behaved immorally - that they had been promiscuous they had been immoral. They and their families may be ostracized as well. There have been cases where when it was publicly known that a person was HIV-positive, the family was mistreated, socially and in the workplace. Many people live and die without ever knowing they have AIDS. When a person falls ill and dies due to the disease, his/her family will not admit or conclude that he/she died from AIDS even though all the symptoms are there. In other cases, the true cause of the death will not be put on the death certificate. This is because the remaining family fears being outcast from the neighbors and society in general. This is how strong the social stigma is when it comes to relations with HIV-positive persons.
It is not only the families and society that are prejudiced against the infected person. There is also governmental discrimination, both covert and overt. In spite of any public declarations which claim that they will help their infected citizens to the fullest measure possible, little has been done. A good example of overt governmental discrimination can be found in China. In certain parts of the country, HIV-positive persons are prohibited from marrying, having children or even working to earn a living.
To prevent this kind of behavior by uninfected persons towards infected persons, education is needed. People must be taught the risks of unprotected sex. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly all over the world. It is due in part to HIV-positive persons continuing their normal habits such as having unprotected sexual intercourse which spreads the virus further. Much also needs to be done to educate people about how HIV/AIDS is spread and to set up facilities to test for and help HIV-positive persons. Society as a whole must be taught to accept and to help to who have been infected and to change their behavioral patterns so that this killer epidemic will not ruin the lives of the future generations.
Sources:
UNAIDS Frequently Asked Questions
A Continent in Peril
I highly recommend you visit this page. It gives you a lot of information about the social situation in connection with the HIV/AIDS positive persons in Southern Africa.
Asian AIDS/HIV Information
This site provides links to news articles in Eastern and Southeastern Asia.
UNAIDS The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
This site provides information about what is happening within the UN and around the world to prevent HIV and also HIV/AIDS prevalence statistics.
CDC-NCHSTP-Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) Home Page
This site provides more statistics.