Clearly, the biggest problem of HIV/AIDS is not treatment or management. The single most dangerous aspect of this health condition is the thorn of stigmatization which has lingered on from the first day (1980s) till now.
Check my video on the topic
In my local Ewe dialect, the name for HIV is “dika naku”; which literally means, “grow lean and die”. This is how people were educated back then to control spread of the infection because there was no proper treatment. So, it was like some sort of fear mongering tactics to deter people from engaging in unsafe sexual practices.
HIV should never have been a problem today because there are proven medical breakthrough in treating, managing and prevention of the disease. To the extent that, medical scientists are working around the clock and are close to finding a complete cure like any other cure for infections like malaria and TB.
HIV/AIDS still remains serious national health concerns around the world; especially in Africa and it's party due to misconception most people still towards it. Why would someone knowingly tell others; even friends and family his/her HIV status, when he is fully aware he would, (not could) be ostracized, despised and openly stigmatized? This has been the dangerous disease of the infection HIV itself for a long time.
I always advice; if you know you cannot handle the burden of social stigma around this infection, always be mindful to protect yourself as much as you can.
Some Key Facts About HIV/AIDS
- Did you know that when someone gets exposed to HIV virus, let’s say, through needle prick or sexual intercourse, the victim has about 72hours window period to clear the virus from his or her system before it takes root? This opportunity can only be achieved in a proper health facility.
- Did you know that, a person with HIV can have unprotected sex with HIV-free partner and never get him or her infected? This can only be achieved if the infected partner is placed on treatment, follows it and viral load is little or even undetectable with regular testing.
- Did you know that someone can unknowingly live with HIV virus for years-10 or even 20 without showing the slightest signs of the disease. He or she may look tough, big, handsome, pretty or healthy and still harbour the virus which is able to infect others. This is why you cannot use appearance to tell who has the disease or not.
- Did you know that the virus HIV does not kill its host directly? Other diseases like TB, malaria, cholera, etc. directly kill, HIV virus does not. What the virus does is that, it weakens the immune system-destroy disease fighting cells and then makes the victim vulnerable for other opportunistic diseases to likely take down the victim. That vulnerable state HIV virus creates is known as the AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
Conclusion
In the final analysis, if you remove this ugly, thick clothing of stigmatization, marginalization off HIV victims, in the light of marvelous medical breakthrough in treatment, management, prevention and possible universal cure, I can openly say, comparably, HIV infection is far better than diseases like chronic hypertension, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver diseases, stroke etc. Data point to the fact that, those are the diseases killing people most in this country.
I work at the clinical side of healthcare and you can hardly see many people lying down on hospital beds for days (admission) because of HIV infection. And yet, every year, we hear of frightening national statics of new infection. If Ghana really want to turn the tides on the high rate of infection among its citizens, it must with all seriousness tackle and cure this strong resistant disease of HIV stigmatization first.
