Abstract
I read the bitter news of article published recently. Intentionally some PLHA people transmitted HIV/AIDS
Editorial
I read the bitter news of article published recently. Intentionally some PLHA people transmitted HIV/AIDS. A heterosexual person infected with HIV will transmit the virus to their partner once in every 900 times the couple has unprotected sex, according to a new study conducted in Africa [1]. But from following news really upsets me. The 23-year-old woman claims she intentionally transmitted HIV to more than 500 people [2]. A 31-year-old auto driver is suffering from a lifethreatening disease and had unprotected sex with 300 women, including several housewives, after realizing that he was infected with the HIV [3].
A female college student in Kenya says she has infected over 300 men with HIV and has a goal of infecting 2,000. She says she was raped at a party and infected with HIV. She tries to have unprotected sex with at least four different men per day to get “revenge” [4]. Single man influence to make changed of a community. So, from individual everyone should be making the helping hands for adapted to different circumstances and systems (integration, equity and empowerment).
Sustainability is achieved through the knowledge, skills and attitudes that motivate people and provide them with the ability to improve their own health and care for others. A “safe” environment is essential for People Living with HIV/AIDS. Since the detection of HIV/AIDS, people living with the virus are stigmatized or ostracized. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are, to varying degrees, stigmatized throughout the world [5]. Stigma around the world expressed through social ostracism, personal rejection, direct and indirect discrimination and laws that deprived PLWHA of their basic rights [6].
Worldwide PLWHAs are a particularly marginalized group who receive much discrimination and stigma for being positive [7]. A case study of Ratna ji (Name changed) was born in 10 Km far from Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) on Talki village of Ahmednagar on 1983 A.D. She was grown up in poor an economically challenged family of Muslim community. Her parents were farmer. She was with 6 family members including her parents and three sisters. She was the smallest daughter of her parents. Her elder sisters were married randomly before the age of 15 years.
They never see the door of school. She requests her parents for admission. Due to our poor economic condition her parents never think to join her. One day one teacher from nearby school came in her home and asked her parents to join the school. She started to work in teachers home for buying the uniform and books, paying the fees of school in morning and evening. At day time she joined the school. But the fate had something else in store for her because she was born as a girl, or should she say that, she had a curse or should she consider it as her ill fate; her father announced her engagement to a boy who lived in the same village. It is a known fact that the family of a girl always looks for a good family for their daughter but they never understand that their daughter is supposed to spend the rest of her life with the person but not the family.
He gave her the false promise about his wealth and his education. She liked to says that, she was sells in the 25000 (Twenty Five thousand) to that person. Her husband used to fall sick time to time. Even though, they had a good relationship for 2 years. More often he used to visit Mumbai, Pune for seeking the jobs. After some months of our marriage he couldn’t find any work in Mumbai, Pune then he used to work in village. She never knew about her husband illness, but he used to drink lots of alcohol. He died at the same year of her son born. He left me and the world at the age of 18 by making me as the widow. What was the reason behind his death they was unknown. Once she got seriously ill and was hospitalized in nearby hospital.
After the different investigations, she was diagnosed with HIV Positive. When she came to know that she have HIV positive, she lost her hope to live. In the beginning, she thought that it might be a dream. But she was compelled to belief bitter truth. When she was diagnosed by HIV her life has turned into a dark hole. But she was unknown about the disease HIV/ AIDS. How it transferred, what is HIV and AIDS and etc. Her father in law and mother in law as well as my all family members blamed her and she was tortured saying that she was a characterless lady. She was cross her limitations doing an evil work and so on. Family members were isolated her in small hut; they never gave her foods for lives.
She used to works in the neighbor house to alive but after sometimes they also used to discriminate her and not allowed to enter in the house, not allowed to touch others, not allowed to touch foods, etc. She was unknown and too upset as all her family members were ignored her and thinking that she had done a great evil. In 2002, her mother returned back to her in her birth place, then after, within 20 days her mother started showing her HIV positive reports to the villagers. Community people started to torture her mentally. They think HIV will transfer in the community endemically so it is better to kick out of the village so that HIV won’t spread. Again Family members had kept her in small hut near the jungle. She tries to forget all those things but again the very bad situation happen to her life.
One day when she was returned from her work at the late night, her son was dead in her bed. Her child was around eighteen months with amazing capacity of smiling and expressions. He does not talk clearly and expresses the pain of discomfort, conflict within family; the pain and mental effect of discriminatory behave of society and poverty situation. she think her baby were continuously and repeatedly cries and shouted, at that time nobody was there to put the drops of water in his mouth. She was feared to force for the Hindu community people to rearing of her son as they knew she was from Muslim community.
From that day she never likes to return in same small hut. None innocent people request compelled her to visit their home even in that situation. All her dreams were scattered and she couldn’t forget these things and it always stayed in her heart. After one year of her husband’s death she became sick, unconscious and suffering mentally. She thought no one in this world washer. She takes the poison for death. For treatment one of the CRHP members was taken her to Julia hospital Jamkhed. Doctor Arole treated her by donated the blood. He told his staffs to do free treatment and also provide her whatever she needs. After staying 4 days in the hospitals, staffs of CRHP brought her to CRHP Jamkhed. She became hopeful and optimistic towards her life.
She could not escape the bitter truth of being a HIV infected woman. She felt this way because she had faced a lot violence and discrimination just for being a woman and PLHIV women from the staffs of CRHP. Dr. Arole knew about the stigma and discrimination what she was faced in CRHP also. One day Dr. Arole asked all staffs to gather in the kitchen and planned for eating together. At that time, Dr. Arole asked Ratna to come and eats the foods. In the same plate, he started to eaten. He describes all the sign, symptoms, transmission, prevention, and control measure and treatment mechanism of HIV/ AIDS. From that day, nobody of the staffs blamed her. She saw a few rays of hope in her life when she was selected for Horticulture and vermiculture training.
Later she appointed as a Manager in the CRHP HIV/AIDS. The involvement of people living with HIV in prevention is essential to support other HIV positive people to deal with issues related to guilt and blame and to promote protective sexual behaviours [8]. Positive prevention recognizes that HIV is fuelled by inequalities in power due to gender inequality, sexuality, knowledge, societal roles and poverty. Jamkhed were able to describe that Comprehensive model, CRHP/Jamkhed as a learning site: factors that make it successful. CRHP shared knowledge about successful innovations between different project villages from the outset. Community members are teachers-recounting stories of personal and community transformation to visitors is part of the empowerment process [7].
Openly HIV positive people can help to create a safe and supportive working environment for other people infected or affected by HIV/ AIDS [5,9]. Beyond numbers are self-confident men and women, once outside the mainstream of society, taking leadership positions in their villages, affirming that they were created in the image of God. It is not only the quantitative changes that are important; but even more so the transformation of persons and communities in a qualitative way, which leads to harmony, health and peace - shalom.
References
8. Shobha and Ravi Arole. “Comprehensive Rural Healthcare Project (CRHP).” 1970.
9. Pandey A. Challenges Experienced by Adolescent Girls while Menstruation in Kathmandu, Valley: A Qualitative Study. J Community Med Health Education. 2014.
Citation
Pandey A. Path of Darkness to the Ways of Bright Lights. SM J Public Health Epidemiol. 2016;2(1):1021.