HIV STIGMATIZATION BY DR. DR. EMMANUEL KOFI AMPONSAH (MD, MDSc,PHD,FGCPS)
REGIONAL HOSPITAL SUNYANI/KNUST DENTAL SCHOOL GHANA, WEST AFRICA
Apatere is passing and two people are standing by conversing as soon as Konkonsa sees Apatere he tells Koo Hia that do you know Apatere is HIV positive? Koo Hia queries how did you know? And Konkonsa tells him about how Apatere was dropped when he was nominated for UNIFIL appointment and since then he has not travelled again. After that Koo Hia gets home and tells his wife about Apatere’s plight. The next day Apatere’s son comes to call Koo Hia’s son so they could go to school. Koo Hia’s wife tells him to take the lead since her son is not yet ready. When the boy left she warns her son never to play with that boy again because their whole family is sick of HIV and he will also get sick if he plays with him.
Koo Hia’s wife doesn’t stop there she begins to tell all her friends about Apatere’s condition. The message spreads like wild bus fire in their town. Now Apatere and his family are shunned in the whole town. Apatere goes to mango-down kiosk to take some tots to face his fufu, as soon as he entered the bar, most of the people leave the place. Konkonsa goes later to tell the seller that if she doesn’t find a glass for that man, they will all stop coming to drink there. Apatere’s wife sells fresh vegetables in the vicinity, so people stopped buying from her and the other children in the area stopped playing with Apatere’s children both at school and at home because they don’t want to be infected with HIV. Apatere himself started losing his friends. The news circulated around the whole town that Apatere and his family are HIV positive so if you shake hands with him, you will get HIV, if your children play with his they will get some, if you buy fresh vegetables from his wife and cook with it you will get some.
Ladies and gentlemen please put yourself in the shoes of Apatere and see how you will feel.
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW
1. One will NOT get HIV if he or she shakes hands with HIV infected person.
2. One will NOT get HIV if he/she buys fresh vegetables from HIV infected person.
3. One will NOT get HIV if he/she plays or eat with HIV infected person
4. We need to show empathy to HIV infected persons.