HIV issue
Sharmin Rashid, Uttara, Dhaka
HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh is still a seldom-talked-about subject, thanks to overriding superstitions and myths that shroud it. Although the official figure for the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs) is 658(government figure as of 2005), the projected number for PLHAs all over the country is more than 13,000. And with more and more people traveling to the countries in the Middle East and South Asia, the risk increases manifold. While the government is spending a huge amount of money on raising awareness through different media, they are spending little in the way of care and support for the patients. What the government forgets is that PLHAs are a source of infection to other people, and awareness raising programmes will only do half the work. Ashar Alo Society (AAS) has been working for caring and supporting, counseling and empowering PLHAs since its formation in 2000. It has branches in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Jessore and Khulna and since its inception up until now 326 PLHAs have benefited from its programmes. The organisation provides peer counseling, nutritional counseling, and family counseling for PLHAs. It also equips them with life-saving skills training so that they can stay well and live long by avoiding any infections. Monthly meeting is held at the premises of the society where PLHAs share their problems and AAS informs them about their plans and activities. The organisation also arranges vocational training for poor PLHAs who are unable to find work and provides monetary help to the very poor. There are two doctors available round the clock for treating outpatients, which also includes monthly check-ups of members and HIV testing. The organisation also provides life -saving drugs from pain-relieving pills to ARV (anti recto viral) for a certain number of patients. All these services are provided free of cost as most of the HIV positive patients are poor and jobless. The organisation also arranges community-based awareness raising programmes and advocacy meetings with doctors, the media and community people. The programmes are sponsored by FHI (Family Health International).AIDS patients are facing a lot of problems from their family and society. A lot of people are dying without any treatment. The danger is multiplied by the fact that people with this disease have a tendency to hide the fact. Hiding the disease only makes matters worse because a PLHA without the right information is more vulnerable to getting afflicted with other diseases and thus dying prematurely without treatment. Counseling and training helps a PLHA to live a long healthy life. The message AAS primarily wants to give out is that becoming HIV positive does not mean the end of the world. In fact until a person has full blown AIDS he/she can lead a long and normal life. Education and disciplined lifestyle can easily ensure that. When the HIV virus enters the body, the person is said to be HIV positive. This virus solely breaks down the immune system. Once the immune system is broken down the person easily contracts other illnesses. During season changes when normal people get colds and fever, a PLHA becomes more prone to this. They are also very vulnerable to diarrhoea, TB and herpes. An infected person is a source of infection and we need to ensure that the infection does not spread from this source, in order to stop the internal transmission. In the internal transmission two things must be ensured, firstly, the person who is at risk of getting infected should be educated so that he/she practices safe behaviour and, secondly, the PLHA should be educated on how to take care of himself/herself. But these people unfortunately are not getting any treatment, proper food, or a place to stay. We are spending hundreds of thousands of taka on awareness -raising through print and electronic media and seminars but we fail to take care of the persons affected. These people are getting desperate. Why should they care about us if we don't care about them? Let's help them to live a long and healthy life.
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