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Unit 2 - Section 1 hiv NEW

Hiv y

Uploaded by

mohammed issaka
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ADDRESSING HIV & AIDS

UNIT 2 SECTION 1 SUPERSTITIONS


Unit 2, section ABOUT
1: Superstitions about HIV HIV AND AIDS
and AIDS
STIGMA THROUGH
EDUCATION

Welcome to Section 1 of Unit 2. In this section we shall discuss some


superstitions about HIV and AIDS.

By the end of this section, you should be able to:


 explain why superstitions about HIV and AIDS have no basis;
 explain why some of the superstitions have gained ground;
 identify the quacks who prey on and cheat PLHIV; and
 offer advice to PLHIV to be wary of the fetish priests and priestesses
who claim AIDS is the work of witches and wizards.

Now read on………

Superstition about cures


In some African countries, it is believed that if a male is infected and he has
sexual intercourse with a very young girl or a virgin, he can get cured. As a
result of this very harmful belief, some men who are infected are having sex
with underage girls. Incidents of rape, including infant rape, have increased
enormously and this crime has serious social and psychological
consequences. Rape has serious health and psychological implications for
victims. Many victims never recover from the trauma, and they have deep
psychological fears and anxieties because of the experience.

Many PLHIV are so desperate to get a cure that they are ready to try any
treatment that promises a cure. Upon diagnosis, many people do not accept
that they have HIV and seek treatment for a disease they do not know. In
Ghana, as in most African countries, people believe that herbal preparations
hold the cure to all diseases.

While some conditions may be treated with herbal preparations, these


preparations have never been tested to know the active ingredients that they
contain. Some of these herbal medicine concoctions may even worsen the
problems of the sick. They can introduce other pathogens into the system of
the PLHIV.

Witchcraft and other ideas


In most African countries including Ghana, a lot of ill omens are attributed
to witchcraft. People believe that if you incur the displeasure of a
witch/wizard, she/he can bring HIV to you spiritually. Fetish priests and
priestesses have told quite a number of those who seek treatment from them
that their sickness is caused by either a witch or a wizard. Half of the
supposed witches/wizards are very old.

Those who believe in these assertions of the fetish priests and priestesses
pay large sums of money for treatment.

Stories are told of Ghanaian commercial sex workers who return from Cote
d’Ivoire showing symptoms of HIV. Their condition is attributed to a river

UEW/IEDE, B.Ed Inservice


70
HIV/AIDS STIGMA
REDUCTION Unit 2, section 1: Superstitions about HIV and AIDS

god they had offended in Abidjan. Others visit shrines to seek protection
before they embark on a trip outside Ghana. On their return, if they have
HIV or AIDS, they attribute it to not fulfilling the promise they made to the
various deities from whom they sought protection. Have you heard of any of
these stories in your area? Share your findings with your course mates when
you go for the next face to face.

Activity 5.1
Read all you can about the village for witches and wizards in the Northern
region of Ghana.
a. What are some of the things these supposed witches/wizards are a
alleged to have done?
b. From what you have learned about STIs and HIV do you believe that
witches and wizards can cause people to have HIV or AIDS? (Support
your answers with two pieces of concrete evidence.)

Vulnerability to charlatans
People who have HIV or AIDS may be so vulnerable that they are exploited
by charlatans all in the name of getting a cure. Charlatans peddle all sorts of
concoctions to those who are infected. PLHIV are so desperate for treatment
that anything that is said to be a cure for HIV is readily paid for. People are
so desperate to get cured even though there is scientific evidence that there
is no known cure for HIV.

Your good friend has been diagnosed as being HIV positive after his/her
spouse had died from AIDS. He/she has been told of the anti-retroviral
therapy (ART) that is available for selected PLHIV in specific hospitals in
the country.

A visit to one of the hospitals reveals that his CD4 cell count is not low
enough to qualify for ART. What will you suggest that he/she should do to
help check his/her progression to the AIDS stage?

Some possible points that you may include in your work are:
 Eat nutritious meals – eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
 Have enough rest/sleep
 Avoid re-infection by practising safe sex
 Have regular exercise
 Avoid drinking and smoking
 Have positive attitude about the disease
 Seek treatment for opportunistic infections immediately.
 Use only herbal medicines that have proven efficiency.

In this section we have looked at some superstitious beliefs about cures for
HIV and how PLHIV are vulnerable to charlatans. The quest for getting a
cure makes PLHIV vulnerable to charlatans. We all should remember that
HIV has no cure; the best thing to do is prevent infection.

71 UEW/IEDE, B.Ed Inservice

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