Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - November 7, 2006
What are the effects of stigma in the fight against HIV/AIDS? Is it stigma that caused you to remove your photo from accompanying your articles? To me your photo gave HIV/AIDS a face.
Barbara
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Dear Barbara,
Stigma could be defined as anything that significantly discredits an individual or a group of people in the eyes of others. Stigma in my opinion is the 'fuel' that runs the 'engine' that spreads HIV. Unless we fight it successfully, the fight against HIV is going to be futile.
HIV related stigma often causes people who have the disease to be in a state of denial which means they cannot seek medical help early enough until their immune system is so badly damaged that whatever we do, we cannot save them. These often die, leaving behind the ever-increasing numbers of orphans and vulnerable children.
Many new infections are also because of stigma because people who test HIV positive cannot share their HIV status freely with their spouses or sexual partners whom they may continue to infect including the infection of children through Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT).
Stigma often leads to despair and people affected with HIV may end up committing suicide or, due to anger, may spread the disease deliberately and maliciously since they may feel they are being treated unfairly. People often fear or do not know who to tell and may no longer feel part of the civil society. This eventually makes people with HIV/AIDS lose self-esteem. No wonder most people in our society who have HIV/AIDS do not want to be known which makes it difficult for government and everybody to have a meaningful plan to help them.
Stigma therefore discourages open discussion on the disease; thus forcing it underground and creating ideal conditions for further spread since HIV thrives on secrecy, fear and ignorance.
Lastly on why my photo will no longer appear along with my articles, I wish to say that I am not succumbing to stigma.
It is something to do with medical professional ethics. As a doctor, the Hippocratic Oath forbids any form or appearance of self-advertisement and my photo was being misunderstood as such.
But the struggle against HIV and HIV related stigma continues.
061107
NV061111
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