AIDS patients suffer stigma, discrimination Staff Writer | November 28, 2016 | 7:51 am
Stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients is more rampant in the country, compared to even the prevalence rate of the disease its self, the United Nations AIDS agency has said. It says this is mainly because of complex traditional cultures practiced by the local communities.“If you are identified as HIV positive, you are chased from home or you are denied all your basic rights,” said Justus Kamwesigye, UNAIDS specialist. “If it’s a woman, she is divorced; if it’s a man, he is chased away from the village.“So there are no support mechanisms for people living with HIV, who would actually need more support from the community.” Mr Kamwesigye urged community members to give the necessary support to people living with HIV/AIDS.Only about 2.6% of the adults are HIV positive, according to UN statistics. He stressed that cultural practices have also hindered HIV/AIDS preventative measures such as the use of condoms. According to the UNAIDS, 60% of the population in South Sudan do not have enough education about HIV/AIDS.Mr Kamwesigye further said there is still a need for massive awareness campaigns on the disease within the country. -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14or7%3DC%3D%2B2C36S7-tvn%2B3y6GB65WW6dZR3n1E-pS7QR-HTA%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
