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who breached the moral code and are deviants, and are treated
similarly if not worse. The rest of the groups are those involved
innocently and are subject of sympathy but because of potential to
transmit the disease, which is so far, untreatable, avoided by the
society amounting to hate.
Thus, morality issue complicates the scientific understanding and
dealing of AIDS patients by the public and medical workers in many
ways. It clouds the public mind, and a clear understanding of the
disease process and thus education is denied. The patients are not
sufferers but sinners, directly or indirectly, cut off from the mainstream
of the society and live on its fringes, and are treated with ridicule and
avoided as untouchables.
The Role Of People’s Organizations
The basic hypothesis is that if the morality issue in relation to AIDS
can be diluted or sidelined from the public mind, a clearer understanding of
the disease and more effective education can be possible. This will have at
least two implications: one, it will be helpful at the primary as well the
secondary levels of prevention; and secondly, a more humane treatment
socially and medically can be met out to the AIDS patients. Here, the role
of people’s organizations is important. They can help in spreading a
healthy awareness of human sexuality and shaping the public attitude
towards the disease and its reorientation for better understanding and
awareness, and more efficient prevention as well as treatment.
They can work in following ways:
Fig.3: The Role of People’s Organizations
- Spreading Healthy Awareness Of Human Sexuality
- Sex Education: In the society the learning comes from the sexual
value system of the family and community. The people’s organization
can help in scientific and rational sex education. A step-wise sex
education can be organized with help of community and must counter
the sex fads gained from peers and mass media, which often lead to
sexual learning in unhealthy way.
- Healthy Sexual Practices: The people’s organizations, with help of
community, can work in this direction. Stress on monogamous
relationships should be given. A monogamous relationship can be
heterosexual or homosexual, the sexual orientation need not change. A
bisexual orientation, of course, is an evident risk. A new sexual relation
should be preceded by a screening test for HIV. In this regard, it is
important to note that a screening test for HIV does not become positive
following exposure to infection for weeks or months. About 95%
infected individuals can be detected by screening tests within 5 months
of infection. So, a period of 6 months for both partners of a new
relationship is safe. The risk linked with casual and commercial sex
should be highlighted.
- ‘Safe Sex’: The use of condoms for ‘safe sex’ has been widely
publicized. But a poor quality or accidental breakage of condom during
sexual intercourse is a real danger.
- Re-Orientation Of Public Attitude
This is an uphill task. In a natural course as the number of AIDS
patients is on increase, the acute public reaction will subside. An AIDS
patient need not be isolated. He should be rehabilitated within his family
and in his job, of course taking needful precautions. The aim is to break
the chains of transmission by putting barriers, not to outcast the
patients. All HIV +ve and AIDS patients should be regularly followed up,
and helped in getting treatment and properly rehabilitated. Efforts by
people’s organizations in this regard should come.
- Nodal Support To Hiv +/Aids Patients
The people’s organizations can act as nodal points for giving
support to the HIV+ persons and AIDS patients in various ways. They
should encourage the patients to come out with problems and help in
solving them. Acceptance by the family and community, occupational
rehabilitation, and follow up and treatment are such problems and can
be solved by drawing scientific programs and projects by people’s
organizations with help of community and government.
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