Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : July 30, 2014 3:47 PM IST
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said to prevent AIDS, using condoms wasn't enough. 'One should also promote integrity of sexual relationship between husband and wife - a part of Indian culture,' he was told the New York Times in a telephonic interview. 'The thrust of the AIDS campaign should not only be on the use of condoms. This sends the wrong message that you can have any kind of illicit sexual relationship, but as long as you're using a condom, it's fine,' Dr Harsh Vardhan was quoted as saying.
However, NACO head VK Subburaj differed from the minister's view and said condom use was being promoted by anti-HIV/AIDS organisation among high-risk groups. 'The minister thought that we were promoting illegal activities through condoms,' he was quoted as saying.'For the vulnerable groups, we cannot tell them about morals,' he said.
Subburaj, however, agreed with Dr Harsh Vardhan's reference to married couple's remaining faithful to one another. 'We will tell them, 'Be faithful,' he was quoted as saying.
The newly appointed health minister is currently touring the US to confer with health officials on cooperation and collaboration in vital sectors. This promoting 'moral values' is a backward step in the battle against HIV/AIDS and would bring back the stigma attached to the disease considering the US' CDC is suggesting the usage of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.
According to the PrEP guidelines, people who are at an increased risk of developing HIV should take anti-HIV medicines to prevent HIV infection and progression to AIDS. This approach has been shown to effectively reduce HIV infection rates in individuals by 90%. The guidelines recommend the use of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved combination drug called Truvada.
The truth is that since the disease surfaced the problem with HIV has been as hard to fight as the stigma.
The early years
Randy Shilts' investigative book And the Band Played On portrays the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the lack of response to it from either the medical community or the authorities. When the disease first emerged, it was believed that the disease was a curse for people who actually deserved it like homosexuals or intravenous drug users. It wasn't until people like Ryan White (a boy who got HIV through blood transfusion) and other prominent HIV-infected people like Magic Johnson and Arthur Ashe were diagnosed with the disease that public perception about it changed. Many experts believe that this sluggishness to deal with the disease led to its spread which had claimed 30 million lives by 2009.
The HIV/AIDS stigma in India
Since the disease surfaced, HIV positive people have been subjected to strong discrimination from various sections of society. One of the primary reasons for this was that initially the disease was more prevalent among drug users, homosexuals and sex workers people society usually tends to look down upon. While that attitude has changed a bit, HIV discrimination is still the norm. In fact, it's quite common for employees to lose their job and families to be ostracised in their HIV positive status is revealed. A bill to reduce this discrimination was tabled in 2006 and was recently introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Called the HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill 2014 the bill looks to end discrimination against HIV positive people.
Under the proposed law, HIV/AIDS-affected people will be provided protection against discrimination in employment, healthcare, education, travel and insurance, in both public as well as private sectors. (Read: Living with HIV diagnosis, treatment and prevention) The bill proposes imprisonment and fine for those spreading hatred and discrimination against HIV patients. According to official information, a fine up to Rs 10,000 and two years' imprisonment has been proposed as punishment for spreading hatred against people with HIV/AIDS. (Read: Prevention of transmission of HIV-virus to the child during pregnancy) The bill also proposes a legal commitment to provide Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) by the government to the patients as far as possible. (Read: Social protection key to prevention of HIV/AIDS: NACO)
Despite whatever bill is passed in Parliament, people will continue to discriminate until they understand the myths attached to the disease. It's time we cleared those doubts. Let go of the stigma, and accept that everyone irrespective of their HIV status is human and deserves to be treated as such. If you know someone who has HIV or AIDS, support them and don't ostracize them it could well be you next.
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