Missing the Target #5: Improving AIDS Drug Access ... - CD8 T cells

The deadly impact of stigmaBy Elizabeth Owiti, Healthpartners; andJames Kamau, kenya Treatment Access Movement (KETAM)Although the campaign for increased access to HIV/AIDS medicines has improveddistribution of ARV drugs, most people with HIV/AIDS in Kenya still do not seektreatment, and many die of treatable infections such as TB. It is therefore importantto ask what factors bar demand for treatment in Kenya, and what role stigma anddiscrimination play in determining treatment access.To address these questions a literature review was conducted and a brief qualitativesurvey was undertaken involving Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS, health care workers,and key informants. Our results reveal that stigma and discrimination are prevalentin Kenya in many forms, and affect people differently depending on socio-economicstatus.HIV and AIDS-related stigmaIn Kenya, the general population, including many medical personnel, is not wellinformed about HIV and AIDS. In the public eye, HIV and AIDS are commonlyassociated with socially-censured sexual behaviors that are often viewed as theresponsibility of the individual. AIDS is understood to be incurable, degenerative,often disfiguring, and associated with an “undesirable death.” It is often incorrectlythought to be highly contagious and a threat to the community at large. All of thesefears are used to justify marginalization of PLWHA, thus further entrenching deeplyrooted prejudices.Causes of stigma and discriminationOur survey shows that stigma around HIV and AIDS persists because ideas aboutthe disease are deeply enmeshed with social, personal, cultural, and religiousbeliefs, as well as fears about sex and death, two taboo issues not traditionallydiscussed in most communities.Knowledge and fearsMost Kenyans understand the basic facts of HIV prevention and transmission.However, our study found that there is a lack of in-depth knowledge, whichfeeds fears about casual transmission. Many respondents did not understand thedifference between HIV and AIDS, how the HIV disease progresses, or how longone can live with HIV before progressing to AIDS. Many respondents believed that30