HIV/AIDS Is A Death Sententence

If you are HIV/AIDS positive, you will still live.

Okay, I finally lured you to my blog. You are probably thinking, 'what's this? HIV/AIDS, a death sentence? Since when?'

I will tell you how. 

In third world countries, if you are HIV positive, you are as good as dead. The HIV virus might not kill you but the stigma and not knowing your status before hand will.

HIV//AIDS  is a death sentence if you are HIV positive and you do not know it.  The importance of getting tested cannot be overemphasized.

One of my previous posts, the HIV- A BROKEN CLAY POT exposes the trauma of stigmatization and discrimination against HIV positive patients by their families and loved ones.

But going by a recent incident I witnessed, I did not do justice to that post (this can pass for an update).

I wrote it without first hand experience but today, I will tell you what my eyes have seen.

YOUR BROTHER IS HIV POSITIVE

Once Robert's sister knew her brothers status, she nearly fell off her seat. She believed it was the end of her brother's world.

The doctor's words 'Ma, HIV is not a death sentence, he can still live a long  and healthy life' could neither give hope to nor bring her out of her deep painful meditation.

"If Robert dies, what will happen to his four children? Dear Lord! and I fed him two or three times during the past week. I am finished! 

What will I tell my husband and children if I get infected? If he dies, who will look after his children?

His last child has been sick.  How am I sure its not the same HIV? Is his wife also HIV positive?

BUT HOW DID ROBERT GET INFECTED? 

The moment she left the doctor's office, she washed her hands violently.

The doctor advised her not to tell Robert's wife until they got to the General hospital he referred them to.

According to the family, Robert's sickness took them unawares.  He had stopped talking to his family and contributing during conversations.

Then the symptoms came. 

He started vomiting.  His body temperature flew to the roof, and he experienced severe pains all over his body.

He could not stand without being held.

Do you know what his young wife did?  She did not take him to the hospital.  She did not even go to a pharmacy store.

SHE TOOK HIM TO A PRAYER HOUSE!

A prayer house!

Her husband could not talk, could not hear, and was clearly very ill and the best she could think of was a prayer house (dear young people, education is not overrated. It makes you a better person).

The pastor was also a self acclaimed doctor. To cut the very long story short, Robert a HIV patient (although yet to be diagnosed) was kept in a room adjacent to another room where lots of people gathered frequently to sing and pray.

This implies that for one week, he posed a continuous threat to everyone around him (he was not treated by professionals so they were bound to be careless).

The pastor also had a field day extorting money from his wife.

When the pastor saw that Robert was likely going to die in his church, he discharged them and they went to a private hospital.

It was in this hospital that he was diagnosed HIV positive and referred to the general hospital.

He was placed in the emergency ward and one of the doctors even tried to give him an injection without wearing gloves!

The distance between two beds was very small and you would wonder how he would leave that place without infecting another person.

 HIV IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE

If Robert knew his status before hand, he would not have put his family at so much risk.

Who knows how long he has been living with it.  Not knowing his status has endangered the lives of his family.

The doctors will test everyone in his household for HIV/AIDS but who will take account of every and any other person he might have infected?  Its really sad.

And all the money his family has spent in all the hospitals he was taken to, wasted.

All this would have been prevented with a simple test.

Most importantly, Robert is still oblivious to his status. How will he cope when he finds out?  

Will his society still accept him?
Will he commit suicide? It is very common among illiterates.

If his wife turns out negative, there is another possibility that she will leave him, trust Nigerian women.

GET TESTED NOW!

My point is that today, this moment, you need to get tested.

Its the right thing to do.

Stay safe, HIV/AIDS might not be a death sentence but I know you will prefer living without it.

Let us move Nigeria forward  by reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS.