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

FamiliesIn Kenya, families are the primary caregivers for sick members. Some familiesprovide adequate care for members with HIV/AIDS; however, not all familyresponses are supportive. HIV-positive family members are sometimes stigmatizedand discriminated against within the home. There is also mounting evidence thatwomen are more likely to be badly treated than children and men.EmploymentSeveral employers use the supposed risk of transmitting HIV, the cost of health caremanagement, and work absenteeism to terminate or refuse employment to PLWHA.Our study also found that PLWHA who are open about their infection status at workmay experience discrimination by others. Pre-employment and annual screeningand medical checkups are performed by many companies in Kenya, and thosefound HIV-positive risk being laid off.Health careEven at the health care centers, PLWHA are not spared stigmatization. Many reportsreveal the extent to which people are discriminated against by health care systems.Studies reveal withheld treatment, non-attendance of hospital staff to patients, HIVtesting without consent, lack of confidentiality, and denial of hospital facilities andmedicines. Also fuelling such responses are ignorance and lack of knowledge aboutHIV transmission among medical professionals.The way forwardKENYAHIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination remain enormous barriers to effectivelyfighting the epidemic. Fear of discrimination often prevents people from seekingtreatment for HIV/AIDS or from admitting their status publicly. People with (orsuspected of having) HIV/AIDS may be turned away from health care servicesand employment, or refused entry to foreign countries. In some cases, they maybe evicted from their homes by their families and rejected by their friends andcolleagues. The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS can extend into the next generation,placing an emotional burden on those left behind.Internal stigma and denial go hand-in-hand with discrimination, with many peoplecontinuing to deny that HIV/AIDS exists in their communities. Combating the stigmaand discrimination against people who are affected by HIV/AIDS is as important asdeveloping the medical advances for preventing and controlling the global epidemic.A more enabling environment needs to be created that increases the visibility ofPLWHA until they are seen as a “normal” part of any society. The task is to confrontthe impact of fear-based messages and biased social attitudes in order to reducethe stigma and discrimination faced by PLWHA.Finally, an aggressive treatment education campaign is needed, especially inthe rural part of Kenya, to help reduce internal stigma as an impediment to thedemand for testing, treatment, and care.33