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World AIDS Day
HIV/AIDS, which made its entrance a decade ago in Pakistani society silently, is now becoming a serious threat. Like all over the globe, Pakistan also observed December 1 as World AIDS Day. But despite the easy access to information and readily available material, there are false beliefs related to the transmission of HIV virus about which young people have very little information due to their limited exposure.
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus which attacks and destroys the defence system of human body. After a period of time HIV weakens the body to the extent that it cannot even defend itself against a minor disease. Ultimately, symptoms of disease appear in the affected person. These collective symptoms are called AIDS.
AIDS stands for Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome, which means symptoms of deficiency in the defence system. When a person develops Aids, any disease can easily attack him which can become the cause of his death.
Up till now, 1.43 million children under the age of fifteen have become orphans due to Aids. These children face malnutrition, drop-out of schools, become homeless, confront forced labour and indulge in prostitution. There is a visible tendency for drinking and drug addiction. In the absence of, or after the death of parents and guardians, devoid of care and support, these children are subjected to incidents of physical violence and abuse that assume enormous proportions.
“In Asia, despite the HIV/ AIDS prevalence being lower compared to sub Saharan Africa, the absolute number of Aids orphans is much higher because Asia has four times more children than Africa,” says Carol Bellamy, Executive Director, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). Bellamy was speaking at the 15th International Aids Conference in Bangkok in July. Sitting next to Carol Bellamy, in Bangkok was Kami the Muppet who made her appearance at the conference in her capacity as Unicef’s newly appointed champion for children. A five-year-old girl, Kami is an affectionate, articulate child who happens to be HIV positive. Created by Sesame Workshop, Kami joined the Sesame Street Muppet family as part of an initiative developed specifically to educate young children about HIV/ AIDS and related issues. Kami advocates that children infected and affected by HIV/ AIDS need as much love, care and support as other children. She showed that physical contact such as hugging, touching and sharing cutlery and utensils does not spread HIV. She has helped to increase public discourse on behalf of children on an issue constrained by silence and denial.
In more and more countries, young people are at the centre of the global HIV/ AIDS epidemic as more than half of the newly infected with HIV in the world today are below 25 years. Pakistan has a huge population and even low prevalence rates but can translate into large numbers of people living with HIV/ AIDS. Of particular concern are adolescents aged 10–19, most of whom are out of school and have very few avenues to acquire new information and skills for personal development and protection. Adolescence is a time when young people take on new responsibilities and experiment with independence. Adolescence, therefore can be regarded as a window of opportunity to break the vicious cycle of risky behaviour that begins during this age and promote health and development over the life span. It is therefore necessary for every child to know the modes of transmission.
The four major modes of transmission are “unsafe sex, unsafe instrumentation, unsafe transfusion of blood, from infected mother to child. Body fluids that can transmit HIV are blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk.”
How HIV/AIDS spreads?
* Sexual intercourse with an HIV infected person.
* Injection by a HIV infected syringe and use of infected tools.
* Blood transfusion, where infected blood, blood products etc. and HIV infected surgical instruments are used in blood transfer.
* From mother to child: when HIV infected woman transfers the virus to her child during pregnancy, birth, or during breast feeding.
* Chances of HIV infection increases from 5-10 times with the presence of sexually transmitted diseases. People suffering from sexually transmitted infections are at greater risk of getting infected by HIV.
* The virus of HIV remains in the body forever. HIV infected people may appear to be healthy, but they remain infected for life and can infect others.
According to medical science casual contact with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), eating and drinking from the same plate and glass or sitting close, while the person is coughing or sneezing does not spread Aids virus. Swimming with PLWHA in the same pool or treating and taking care of them does no harm. Mosquito bites also do not transmit HIV infection.
HIV/AIDS should not just be regarded as a health issue but taken as a development issue. The underlying causes that make people in Pakistan so vulnerable to HIV/ AIDS are poverty, gender imbalances, low education and illiteracy. Children who are deprived of the guidance and protection of their primary care-givers are more vulnerable to health risks, violence, exploitation and discrimination. Combating HIV/AIDS in Pakistan is difficult because it involves talking and learning about private matters that are not normally discussed in public. Taboos have to be overcome because HIV/AIDS thrives on ignorance, silence and poverty. Break the silence, talk about HIV/AIDS. Enable adolescent girls and boys to act as change agents for HIV prevention. Give them information and life skills necessary to lead healthy lives and protect themselves against the virus.
While sexual and reproductive health is a concern for all ages, the earliest part of the sexual life — adolescence and early adulthood — on the other hand, is of utmost importance. Promoting sexual and reproductive health of young people is the keystone to reducing some of the major health risks, and to establishing health habits that will protect them throughout their lives.
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