OSTRACISM SLANDER ABUSE RIDUCULE REJECTION are common responses to people living with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.

Twenty-three Jamaican companies across 11 industries with a total of 23,000 employees were interviewed, 62 percent didn't have HIV-specific workplace policies and 3 percent reported that they wouldn't hire applicants who disclosed an HIV-positive status.

Though the earliest known case of HIV-1 in a human was from a blood sample collected in 1959 from a man in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, HIV/AIDS came to the fore in 1982. With an estimated 33.2 million people suffering from HIV/AIDS in the world in 2007 of which, 22,000 are from Jamaica, 230,000 from the Caribbean with the Dominican Republic and Haiti accounting for 75 percent of that figure it's virtually impossible these days not to know someone whose life has been impacted by this disease. AIDS is one of the leading causes of deaths in the Caribbean among persons aged 25 to 44 years.

A groundbreaking study by The University of the West Indies' HIV/AIDS Response Programme revealed that "A passive response from Jamaica's political leaders as well as our church leaders to the AIDS epidemic continues to hamper progress that can be made to lessen the effects or spread of HIV/AIDS by addressing root causes such as stigma and discrimination. For the public at large, lack of education as to the modes of transmission and or basic HIV/AIDS information also results in stigma and discrimination against PLWHA".

Though HIV/AIDS is treatable, it's a life-threatening disease with no known cure. People are terrified of contracting HIV. In fact, in 2002, one in 10 doctors and nurses in four Nigerian states, through a survey, admitted having refused to care for an HIV/AIDS patient or had denied HIV/AIDS patients admission to a hospital. One factor fuelling stigma was the fear of exposure to HIV as a result of lack of protective equipment.

So, how does stigma and discrimination perpetuate the global HIV/AIDS epidemic?

A stigmatized environment inhibits public education efforts and thwarts prevention
PLWHA who face pervasive stigma and discrimination are less likely to seek effective medical treatment through their workplace because they fear the consequences of disclosing their status
At-risk individuals will avoid obtaining vital prevention and behaviour change information, and will be less likely to seek testing
Those who know their status are more likely to conceal it, and

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about How does stigma and discrimination, as witnessed in Jamaica, perpetuate the global HIV/AIDS epidemic??
We want to hear your view. Write now!