Dear Blogreader,
A day after this international day of recognition and support for the people living with HIV/AIDS and the scourge of the diseasearound the world,my paternal female cousin succumbed to the disease.I was saddened and am writing to try to see if there will be enough reactions and change in personal behaviour and the need to educate ourselves,friends,families and communities about the disease.
Many communities in South Africa witness the effects of this devastating illness from the stigma associated with it, to the loss of lives of so many promising young South Africans.I also got to see the heartbreak as lived by children and toddlers either living with the disease of after having being orphaned as a result of it,while involved with a university charity organization.I salud all the ABOMAMA(Typical South African reference showing respect to middle-aged women) who either came out of teaching or nursing retirement to give up their homes and well-deserved peaceful solitude in order to open their doors to these children and sometimes their mothers as well.
The challenges for me as a young South African is to practice the ideal.In South Africa,there was an ABC campaign(A=Abstain,B=Be faithful and C=Condomise),and in order to address the epidemic while incorporating all types of belief systems I thought it was all encompassing and thorough.However change starts with me and you in our behaviour.That is not to say that there is only one way to contract the disease,but the facts are sexual transmission is the most eminent way of the spread of the disease.Im not mentioning any new information,but Im hoping to inspire a change in attitude and aptitude towards any members of our infected or affected by it and to stay NEGATIVE if we already are.Health is indeed wealth!
I recall one social worker telling me this poignant observation:If you want to see the risky behaviour people still engage in in their sexual behaviour,visit aborion clinics.The termination of pregnancy is a little too late,in curbing the effects of unprotected sex.
Let that ring in our minds and on our chats with friends...to keep them and ourselves honest with the facts!I want my cousin,who is the second know member of my extended family to die from the disease,to be the last one.
By not,deliberating more on other forms of contracting the the (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)HIV,I am in no way also discounting or discrediting other tragic and unfortunate forms of contracting the disease like in sexual abuse,blood transfusions,drug use,deliberate infection between partners and mother-to-child transmission.
Lastly,I would like to make a point about what I said earlier about aptitudes and education.This is a fundamental part of prevention and in case of an HIV patient´s successful and healthy living.In some communities in South Africa,and this might also be a reality for other countries as well,the denial prompted by the symptoms and finally the diagnosis of the disease,makes people believe in witchcraft or other ways of explaining the disease and this delays critical intervention period when they could start taking antiretroviral drugs and also getting the right family, community,church and workplace support they need!
Rest in Peace,LN!
Sarah
