Reality versus Ideality. Sincerity versus sympathy

This is a conundrum. And excruciating one. A rock, you, then the hard place.

This is a situation where you have to put your feelings, ideals and impartiality aside and delve into the abyss that being sincere. With yourself and with your God.

We all know HIV/AIDS and STI’s can only be transfered through unprotected sex with an infected person, open sores, sharing sharp objects with an infected person, from mother to child at birth, at breast feeding and blood tranfusion with infected blood. Those are the only ways an HIV negative person can contract the virus from a positive person. Right?

AIDS is not seen as a monster that can’t be handled anymore. The availability of “cheap” ARVS and prevention methods has helped a great deal in curbing and minimising infection and HIV related deaths. Today, a HIV+ person can live a further 10-20 years in great health on Anti Retro Viral medication. This way, the number of deaths has fallen drastically compared to the early 1980’s and 1990’s when the prevalence a mortality rates where so high. We all know that with the right medicine and feeding or lifestyle, one can have HIV without suffering from AIDS. Because AIDS is a combination of all the diseases that attack the body that has already been weakend by the HIV.

So essentially, not everyone who is HIV+ has AIDS but every one who has AIDS is HIV+. U get?

That is the reality of the situation.

The ideality of the situation is that HIV/AIDS infected persons should not be ostracized. They should be treated with respect. Stigma is a global fight in the AIDS war. Fighting stigma with help people learn more about HIV/AIDS from everywhere. It will also help the infected people to learn about ways in which they can improve their lives and fight other diseases from attacking their immune systems.

Ideals are all about living in harmony with HIV+ people and leading a normal life with them. Right?

But here is a situation where u have a new born baby. (Most women get the services of nannies/babysitters/maids to help with the heap of work that comes with a newborn baby.) A mother employs a baby sitter to help with the extra baby chores around.

After a few weeks of having the maid around, she seems sickly with a constant cough, flu and some spaced out bouts of malaria and fevers. Then one day to take her to hospital and suggest an HIV test. Lo and behold, it comes out POSITIVE! The maid had no idea she was HIV+ positive and the doctor says her condition is not grave but she is suffering from AIDS as well as her immune system is already very weak and all these diseases like Cough, fever, flu and the sores are staring to develop. Of course she is put on medication ASAP so as not to complicate her situation further. And u go back home.

The babysitter has been so good to you and the baby and does her work very well.

But the problem is, you don’t feel comfortable anymore, leaving your baby with that baby sitter. It’s just a fear u have in you. And u start to look around for another babysitter so u can relieve the current one of her duties. That is the reality of this situation.

That is someone else’s situation.

Now, I kindly ask you to put yourself in her shoes and tell me what u would have done. Be sincere with yourself and think about it. If u had a child that was being looked after by an HIV/AIDS infected sitter, would u FIRE or keep her HIRED?

Waiting on your responses.

-Miss Cheri for Bloggers Against AIDS.