As the HIV/AIDS scourge continues to wreak havoc on the lives of Nigerians, those living with it have opened up on how they are holding up under the deadly infection. RUTH CHOJI spoke with some People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
Research has shown that 4.5million Nigerians are living with HIV and this means that 1 in every 20 Nigerians is infected with HIV/AIDS. No one can dispute the fact that, persons in the age bracket of 14- 35 years have the highest rate of infection in nigeria. HIV means Human Immune Deficiency Virus while AIDS is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Mrs. Augustina Abule (not real names) a mother of two who has been living with the sickness for years, reveals how she has been managing life. "I was first diagnosed in 2001 when I became pregnant with my first child. I had dated my husband for 4 years and we were having unprotected sex; we did the traditional marriage before I took in. It was during the antenatal that it was discovered I was positive. Of course, I was devastated and could not come out of the house for days. I couldn't even summon courage to tell my husband because I thought I must have gotten it on my own. I wasn't faithful in the relationship and I know that my husband too wasn't faithful, but we never thought that unprotected with decent partners could cause problems at last. Finally, I summoned courage and showed him the results. He almost collapsed out of shock and he finally found the courage to do the test and it was proven that he too was positive."
She said they were advised to go for counseling which helped them deal with their status through a good doctor who took interest in their case. When she had their first child, it was done through Caesarian section. "I wasn't allowed to breast feed my child. At this point, we had to tell our parents who also helped us a lot. Since then, I have had another child and we are living comfortably with the disease. We eat good food and make sure that we treat any ailment that arises. We also visit the clinic monthly for our retroviral drugs"
Another person living with HIV/AIDS is Abigail Ali, who is a spinster. "It has not been easy," she says. "I don't tell people and most of my family members don't know, except my mother and sister. I discovered it when I was preparing for my wedding. On my own, I decided to do the test and I wasn't surprised when it came out positive because I discovered, though a bit late, some few years ago that I had dated a man whose wife died of HIV/AIDS. I have been afraid to go for the test, but because I didn't want to be disgraced, I did it on my own and I think it was better that way, because when I showed my fiancé the result, he left and never came back. It's been two years and I have been taking my retroviral drugs faithfully. I eat good food and make sure I don't sleep with men. My counselor just hooked me up with a handsome PLWHA patient and we are having a beautiful relationship. I also thank God that I have a good body that is why it doesn't show. When people see me in the ALPIN clinic, they commend me because I don't look like one. Life hasn't been easy because handsome guys will come to toast me, but I will reject them not because I don't like them, but because I am infected, I tell them no. I am also conscious of where I sleep because of my urine, the heavy dose of antibiotics makes my urine smelly and because I take my drugs early in the morning, I don't sleep in people's houses."
Mrs. Blessing Damulak, a pastor and councilor at one of the ALPIN clinics assured that "Having HIV/AIDS is not the end of the world. To me, HIV/AIDS is better than dangerous diseases like cancer, hepatitis and the rest, because you can manage HIV and live a decent life. People living with HIV are the most courageous people I know because it is not easy especially in a society like ours where they are stigmatized. If you are infected, it is not the end of life, if you have a relative that is infected, you should show them love and respect. PLWHA need lots of love and compassion, care and support more than those that are negative. Encourage them to lead a healthy, full life and also to practice healthy sexual behaviours to avoid getting other infections. Persons with HIV worry about issues like social, emotional and medical issues.
This makes them angry, fearful, sad and anxious; some tend to give up on the future, which is why we need to show them love. Always remember that you cannot contact the disease by eating, working, playing or living with persons who have HIV because the sickness is not transmitted through casual contact. The most means of transmission is through body fluid like semen, blood, vaginal fluid and breast milk. But if it has gotten to the AIDS stage, you must use gloves when washing their blood, stool and urine. PLWHA need to eat good food and avoid fatty and oily ones and clean water is a must for them. They also need more of vitamins A, C and E to help boost their immune system. We must always remember that HIV/AIDS is not a moral issue. Yes, it may have been gotten through sinful ways but it can happen to anybody."
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