Do we really know like we claim to?

HIV is one of the main causes of mortality in the country, discoveries have been made, medication has been made more convenient in such a way that patients do not have to drink many pills but one, but unfortunately there is still no cure. But there is one question that I always ask myself do people really know like they claim to about HIV?I do not know if it would be safe for me to say people are too arrogant to admit that they do not know or they are just afraid to ask for help.

We live in an ignorant society, where people prefer to die without knowing what is really wrong with them, we live in a society where pregnant women continue drinking and smoking because they say their mothers did the same and yet they are fine. I do not mean to generalize or entertain stereotypes I am just exposing reality, the reality that we see every day, but because we live in a community where people are ignorant, wrong doings have become a norm.

I do not blame people who are HIV positive for not disclosing their status, who would disclose their status knowing very well they would be stigmatized. Defiantly not me, people do not care if they know you or not, if they know you are positive they will have a mouthful to say, this might sound as if I am generalizing but actually I am depicting reality, things that happen on a daily bases.

It is really bad enough that people are dying of HIV and aids but it is worse that some people are dying of ignorance, if most people claim to know about HIV then why do we still have people stopping their treatment for traditional medication. One might argue that in some cases it is not a matter of ignorance but desperation to get better, as much as it is ignorance it is understandable but not in this millennium that we living in. In a millennium that every corner there are people educating the nation about the disease, where doctors tell patients that there is no cure yet. It would be nice to be the first to say I was once positive but why not wait for lab tested medication.

“We live in a completely independent world, which simply means we cannot escape each other, how we respond to AIDS depends in part weather we understand this interdependence. This is everybody’s problem.” Bill Clinton. Honestly speaking i would not have chosen any better quote about AIDS. You might not be positive but it is all our fight, those that are aware and educated on the disease should educate the less educated. We should all fight to combat stereotypes about the disease. The best way to start is with your family members, break the stereotype that being positive is a taboo.

Alex Garner the HIV activist once said that one of the best ways to fight stigma and empower HIV positive people is by speaking out openly and honestly about who we are and what we experience. I could not agree more but we as a nation still have a long way to go. It is very possible to live in a society where people are free from stigma and can disclose their status in order to educate the others to take care of themselves. We might be far from a community where free of stigma but we are getting there.