The human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists.
Therefore, once you have HIV, you have it for life.
Therefore, once you have HIV, you are a subject of social sigma and discrimination.
As a brief explanation of what HIV is, it’s spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex, meaning sex without a condom, or through sharing injection drug equipment. Even though it can not be cured, effective treatment with HIV medicine are available. Antiretroviral therapy or ART, consists of 7 drugs that lead to side effects that sufferers have to live with on a daily basis. There are three different types of testing services: antibody tests, antigen/antibody tests, and nucleic acid tests (NAT), which, from PRAXIS, we suggest taking. HIV can be prevented by performing little steps such as using condoms and if needed to take drugs, change the injection equipment.
The latest research found that 63% of the public do not recall seeing or hearing about HIV in the last six months.
Of this 63%, only one third said to have sympathy for people living with HIV in spite of how they acquired it. And the rest of the 37%?
In 25 of 36 countries with current data, more than 50% of the people between the ages of 15 and 49, so adolescence and adulthood, have a discriminatory attitude toward people who are living with HIV.
Various studies of HIV-related have come to the conclusion that discrimination towards people who live with HIV can contributed to job loss in more than 50% of cases in 7 of 11 countries with data.
In the year 2019 around 48 countries and territories maintained restrictions that include mandatory HIV testing and announcement as part of conditions to entry, residence, work and/or study permits.
All of this, because of social stigma and discrimination against people who suffer and have to live with HIV disease everyday of their lifes.
HIV-related stigma and discrimination, where and when it leads to violating the human rights it becomes an issue we all have to deal with.
People, who don’t choose to suffer with this disease, have the right to protection from discrimination and to a life of dignity where stigmatizing attitudes do not interrupt the enjoyment of their other rights. These other rights involve the rights to education, health care, work, access to justice, privacy, family, bodily autonomy and other rights.
In addition, people who discriminate against others on this basis are subject to a greater chance of contracting HIV because they are uninformed.
How to participate to end this epidemic, not only the illness, but ‘mental’ too? Be informed. Know what HIV consists of and share the information. On top of that, when you see a discrimination situation, act against it.
That’s why, on the 1st of December, we celebrate World AIDS day, to raise awareness on this important topic.
Be protected. Protect yourself, protect others.