Fight against HIV virus goes on, but what about the virus of HIV discrimination?

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Antiretrovirals are there to fight HIV virus, but what about the psychological virus, still lurking in our society and usually finding an outlet in the form of discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients.

Stoking this debate further a similar incident came to fore in the southern Indian state of Kerala in which five HIV-positive children who were yanked away from their school last year after being tested HIV positive, have still not been able to get readmission, thanks to the society where lies stark difference between action and contemplation and AIDS is still considered assomeone else’s problem.

People grappling with HIV/AIDS are already shattered physically as well as mentally and such discriminating attitude adds to their woes, turning their lives into a nightmare. However, story doesn’t end here, as not only common people but also the very section of society that has been entrusted with the task of showing these patients a new ray of hope through medical treatment has sometimes been found adopting quite a discriminating attitude towards these people. For instance, in the US alone Twenty-six percent of these patients reported experiencing at least one of four types of perceived discrimination since becoming infected. In the same way cases of similar cases of HIV-discrimination has come to fore from around the globe, which confirms the fact that the no doubt, we are trying hard to curb the march of HIV virus but the virus called, HIV-discrimination is still holding up its head valiantly. Remarking on similar discrimination being meted out to people in the US with HIV/AIDS Lee Badgett, Williams Institute research director says:

While the United States has made great advances during the past decade in treating HIV-disease …, we lag behind in eradicating HIV-discrimination.

This is right that fight against HIV/AIDS is already grappling with some radical challenges like-

• Hunger: The Major Obstacle in the Fight Against AIDS!

• Poverty and Illiteracy: Two Main Causes Blowing Air over the Burning HIV/AIDS Pyre

However, saying that the challenge of HIV-discrimination is more severe than the challenge of HIV/AIDS itself won’t be wrong, therefore, aim should be not only at curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS but also at crippling the ghost of HIV-discrimination and for that it is quite important to arm the people of this world psychology because the ghost of HIV-discrimination comes out when people fail to fight the stigma, myths and misperceptions associated with HIV/AIDS.