On HIV, a few positive notes

I wish the media had said something about where she could go for legal and medical assistance. When Celina was thrown out by her family she did not know she had a right to live in her house or that she had the right to confidentiality. The right to information on HIV/AIDS should extend not just to the infected but to the public at large and in particular the media. The public impression is that you will not contract the infection if you are living with a goodlooking person or a well-known person. It is seen as a problem of the poor, the not so well dressed. The media are more curious about where and how you got the infection than about how you are living with it.

Why are media stories so negative? HIV positive people jumping off hospital buildings; widows of AIDS-affected being thrown out of their homes and villages. Important as these stories are in terms of news value, is there a fear that if you present a rosy picture of those living positive lives, the “preventive” efforts by government and NGOs may be reduced? Is there a fear that funding for HIV/AIDS will drop?

Even doctors are still ignorant about HIV/AIDS, says Celina. Most positive people are told by ill-informed doctors that their days are numbered if they are not on drugs. In fact, Celina says you can live for 15 years without drugs. “I stand before you as proof of my statement. By access to clean air and nutritious food, positive people can live long, healthy lives.” To Celina’s recipe for normal, healthy lives, Doe Nair, who runs a care and support home for positive people, has added another equally important ingredient: happiness. “Keep them happy and they will live longer,” she says. It is only when the immune system is down that you need the support of drugs.