VP4- Ilkiding’a

When we talk about HIV and AIDS in the United States, we paint a portrait of perseverance, strength, and unity. We think of individuals like Magic Johnson who have been able to live with the virus for decades and show no signs of weakness. We think of a virus that has no cure, but with treatment that is readily available around the country, we can suppress the viral load and keep a patient healthy and significantly extend their lifespan. We think of a virus that is no longer a concern on public health standards because other non-communicable diseases have taken priority. In sub-Saharan Africa, the portrait of HIV and AIDS looks quite different. Here, people talk about shame, weakness, and death. We see individuals that go a lifetime without being tested for HIV and only find out they have been living with the virus when they are in their final weeks of life. We see individuals that lose their spouses to HIV/AIDS and are left to live a solitary life abandoned by their families and rejected by their community. We see couples that barely have any money to feed their children, and even less for the bus fare to town to pick-up their medications. We see families split apart and children taken to orphanages because a single father living with HIV cannot sufficiently provide for his kids. We see communities that think it’s best to put all people living with HIV and AIDS on an island where they have no way to transmit the virus to others, or to simply stop providing them with treatm...
Source: Support for International Change : HIV AIDS - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news