Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - January 31, 2009
Teneshia Naidoo, naidoot@ sundaytimes.co.za

This is according to Dr Krishna Nair, medical director of the Chatsworth Regional Hospice, a centre dedicated to helping cancer and HIV/Aids patients.

Nair's revelation comes in the wake of shocking statistics released recently by Child Welfare Chatsworth, which conducted research on the prevalence of HIV/Aids in the sprawling suburb.

It found that of the 3661 HIV/Aids-related cases the organisation came across last year, the majority of the people infected were Indian men in their 40s.

According to its statistics, the organisation dealt with 1906 families affected by HIV/Aids, 1503 people infected by the disease, 110 Aids orphans and 142 Aids-related deaths last year.

Nair said the increased incidence of HIV/Aids in Chatsworth could be attributed to the promiscuous behaviour of some men.

"Generally, the Indian male is more financially sound at that age (40s) and they tend to frequent escort agencies and prostitutes on the street, because there is an increased number of prostitutes here."

In the past five years, Nair has treated an increasing number of HIV/Aids patients at the Chatsworth Hospice, most of them middle-aged Indian men.

"There are also drugs on the market like Viagra, which heightens the male erection and can be found on the street. The men who take it go for quick sex, which again leads to prostitution and HIV," he said.

Last week, the Sunday Times Extra reported that the Silverglen community was trying to stamp out rampant prostitution in its area by photographing prostitutes and their wealthy Indian clients.

Child Welfare Chatsworth spokesman Ricky Pillai described the incidence of HIV/Aids as a "pandemic". "This pandemic is serious and it's escalating. We need to raise awareness about the programmes being run in Chatsworth and raise awareness about antiretrovirals," he said.

An HIV-positive mother in Chatsworth, who does not want to be identified because of her status, was diagnosed with the disease about three years ago after contracting it from her late husband who, she said, had "slept around".

"When I found out, I was devastated. I used to be very angry with him for what he did, but now I'm just sad because I have a disease that could kill me. I never asked to be in this position," said the mother of three.

"Sometimes I think 'how could he do this to me and to my children'. When I saw him in the last stages, it was so frightening. And the scary part is that now I know that's how I'm going to go," she said. Two of the woman's children, including a toddler, are also HIV-positive.

"My children don't know that I am HIV-positive. They thought their father died from tuberculosis. Our community does not know anything and that's the way I like it," she said.

"If I tell my community, they will have no respect for me and my family and will look down on us.

"I don't want to put my kids through that. My husband put us through all this because of the disease he gave us. Even though I blame him, I am trying to move on," she said.

Nair said many people in the Indian community lived with HIV/Aids but were silent about it.

"This is extremely detrimental to them because there is no support and they will be mourning all alone.

"You will find that 70% of these patients are depressed and 40% of them have suicidal thoughts," Nair said.

Community leader Les Govender said: "The Indian community is in a state of denial when it comes to HIV/Aids. People do not talk about it and, as a result, do not get assistance," he said.

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