AIDS initiatives address many facets of disease
After two decades of responding to the global pandemic of HIV and AIDS, experts have concluded that the response must stretch across all facets of the disease’s impact, addressing treatment, prevention, and the social context. This week two separate training initiatives are taking place to advance that strategy. News five’s Jacqueline Woods reports.
Herman Bain, Living With HIV
?It is not something that would just strike you down, kill you. It is something that you know what you can still live a little while, you can do some good, you can live a joyful and happy life still and you can still be loved and things like that.?
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Meet thirty six year old Herman Bain. For the past six years, he has been living with HIV. Bain has been managing the disease with medication, but he has also been struggling with another great battle … his acceptance as a member of society.
Herman Bain
?I myself have been through situations where I was discriminated. Not only by outsiders, but my own family because they are not educated about this disease, they don?t know anything about it. And you know, it kind of hurt people especially if their own family is going to discriminate you.?
The lack of family and public support has had a negative impact on patient?s lives. Sometimes leading to depression, drugs and alcohol abuse and suicidal tendencies.
Herman Bain
?I have a couple friends that I am working with and for them it?s like they can?t work because they are HIV positive, they cannot even visit their homes because their families are afraid that if they know that this is my daughter, that I would put out of work because my friend won?t want to talk to me because my daughter has HIV and AIDS. It is very hard on them.?
There has been a countrywide effort for some time now to educate communities about HIV and AIDS and dispel the myths that have fueled the negative response. The work has not been easy. This past weekend the Dangriga HIV and AIDS Society?s billboard was vandalised. The initiative was a campaign to address the stigma and discrimination.
Dr. Paul Edwards, Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health
?But we need persons living with HIV/AIDS to be empowered for them to say, you know what you can say what you want. You can say what you want, but you know what, they have the medication out deh for me and they have other services. And you now what, to hell with you; I am going to access these things. I wah live longer, I noh care what you say about me. We?ve got to confront this thing head on.?
According to the Ministry of Health?s Epidemiologist Doctor Paul Edwards, the numbers of infections seem to have reached a plateau. But that does not mean we should become complacent.
Dr. Paul Edwards
?We still see approximately three hundred and thirty-six new HIV infections within the first nine months. That?s approximately a hundred and twelve per quarter. We anticipate four forty-eight, four-fifty. Last year it was four fifty-seven, right in the range of where it was, amidst the fact that we know that many more people now are accessing services and getting tested. So again, I talk about us being on that plateau in relation to new HIV infections and hopefully very soon in the next years we see those numbers going down.?
This week, health care providers and the police are meeting in workshops geared towards addressing critical issues like finding the best approach when working with young people and the clinical management of HIV and AIDS. The health conference is to assist health care providers like community nurses aides by providing them with the necessary information.
Dr. Paul Edwards
?It is certainly one of the important pieces of the very big puzzle. We talk about HIV prevention, we talk about care, we talk about treatment. And within that we talk about clinical management of HIV and another very critical component of that is the psycho-social emotional support, very critical. One part of the puzzle acting in isolation is not sufficient, it is certainly not. However, the responsibility of the ministry is one of treatment and care.?
Piecing together another part of the puzzle, Youth For the Future is working closely with community police officers to improve their ability to communicate effectively with young people and those persons who are infected or affected by the disease.
Douglas Hyde, Coordinator, Y.F.F.
?I mean the information that is passed on here through these trainings are very, very important and very unique in so many ways that these officers can take it back to the community and sharpen their skills that they already have.?
In the meantime, Bain says he remains committed to his cause and will continue to do his part to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS and try to build community support for patients like himself.
Herman Bain
?I decide to come forward because I believe that people need to know that it?s okay. I mean, with HIV and without HIV, people are suffering and you don?t have to have HIV for people to discriminate you. And I realize that as a young man that has grown up in the streets and drugs, I have been to prison many times, I haven?t done anything for my community and I want to give back to my community. So I say living with HIV and AIDS I say you know what, I should just talk about it. And it helps me to feel better about myself and that?s why I want to be open about it.?
Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
The clinical management Conference taking place at the Princess Hotel is being facilitated by health care providers from throughout the Caribbean. The conference is being held in collaboration with PAHO and the Global Fund. Meanwhile, Youth for the Future’s workshop was made possible through funding provided by the Global Fund and YFF.
