Stigmatisation of PLWAs

COURSE: DIPLOMA IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT
UNIT:HIV/AIDS AND OTHER PANDEMIC.
NAME:DIANA ATIENO OPIYO.
REG NO:DPM-01-0094/2018.
STIGMATISATION OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS.
     Stigmatisation are any negative thoughts,feelings or actions towards people living with HIV/AIDS. Stigma can be either internal or external. External stigma refers to the actual experience of discrimination from the public. People infected with AIDS are assumed not to be able to contribute to the development of the society. For instance women will not disclose their HIV status to avoid bing isolated from participating in the sociocultural activities like food preparation. Family members of a person who died of the disease or family members who live with the ones infected are stigmatised therefore, family members encourage the ones infected to remain silent to avoid rejection.
     Stigma enhances secrecy and denial,which also speed up the rate of HIV transmission. It isolates people from the community and affects the overall quality of life of HIV patients. Stigmatisation can have many consequences for both the infected and the affected. Some of the consequences of HIV/AIDS stigma include lower uptake of maternity health services by women,fear of health workers getting infected and less provision of health care worked services because they take into account the HIV status of patients. There is also serious implication for prevention because people do not want to go for vct and even those people  who go for testing do not disclose their HIV status to their sexual partners owing to HIV/AIDS  stigma and are more likely  to engage in sexually transmitted risk behaviours which increases the spread of HIV/AIDS.
     It also leads to collective public denial of HIV/AIDS which does not help to reduce HIV/AIDS infections and does not help in fighting stigma. It worsen the stress people living with HIV/AIDS live with as they are forced to be silent about their status.
     Stigma prevents the delivery of effective social and medical care. It enhances the number of HIV infections and diminishes the public health effects of Anti Revival Treatment because people living with HIV/AIDS are not able to interact with their families and the community which is supposed that make them feel complete and be part of the society

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