Shocking revelation on HIV/AIDS in Lanka

Some very shocking facts were revealed during a press conference held in Colombo last week in connection with World AIDS Day which fell on December 1. The first being the number of female HIV/AIDS cases in Sri Lanka is on the rise and most have contracted the virus from their husbands.

The second was that it is male migrant workers who bring HIV to Sri Lanka than female migrant workers. The most shocking revelation was that some urban adolescent school boys seek services of commercial sex workers and are unaware of what a condom is.

The above facts bring no benefit to our country. The first thing we have to be concerned is the rapid increase of Sri Lankan women who have got infected with HIV/AIDS during the last few years.

According to statistics released by the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, the percentage of Sri Lankan women infected with HIV was only 21 between 1987-1991 and it increased up to 34 per cent between 1992-1996.

It then increased up to 40 per cent between 1997-2000 and now it is 42 per cent (2002-2006). According to health authorities this percentage is increasing alarmingly. What do these statistics say?

Men go out, have fun and issue a free death certificate to their innocent wives waiting at home for them with a hot cup of tea? When the wife gives birth to an HIV positive baby he accuses her of getting the virus from someone else.

This can be acceptable in a place where this is quite usual, and where the literacy rate is as low as 40 per cent but here in Sri Lanka we cannot accept this because our literacy rate is high and we have a rich cultural heritage.

We do not need to discuss what men can do about this since they exactly know what to do but comfortably refrain from doing nothing.

The Director of the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Dr.Nimal Edirisinghe told the media that pregnant mothers who suspect the sexual behaviour of themselves or their husbands should do an HIV test which can be useful to prevent mother to child transmition. But this will be the last solution and there are much more to do before this.

Beware of your playful, outgoing and, too social husbands and act immediately if you suspect something. Acting does not mean blaming, arguing or fighting. It means demanding a HIV test from him.

If he is honest and really loves you, he will agree to it without any objection but if he does not, he will object by saying that you suspect him for no reason and it is not good for his reputation and if you really love him you would not have asked him to do it or may be he will try to fool you by providing a fake test result sheet.

You can get tested yourself in his presence and demand him to do the same. This becomes compulsory when your husband/boyfriend returns from overseas. Then he will not have any excuses.

Undergoing a simple blood test in privacy is not a big deal and not a matter between life and death.

All you need is a simple drop of blood. You may contract HIV from your husband but he will watch you die if you develop AIDS or may be he will never develop AIDS until he faces a natural death.

The whole Sri Lankan society look down at female migrant workers (house maids) and think that they are the ones who bring HIV to Sri Lanka but statistics have proved that it is men who do it often and not women.

Very good publicity should be given to this revelation to give the accurate picture to the public who believe that it is poor housemaids who do all sins all the time. No one look down at men who return from overseas and many respect them for their status. But in reality, it is poor housemaids who deserve all that respect and honour.

The other disturbing fact is the adolescent school boys seeking the service of commercial sex workers. Parents are fully responsible for this.

May be their parents have set ‘good’ examples for them by cheating the husband/wife. Some school children freely watch blue films and engage in wrong activities with or without the knowledge of their parents and at the end they want to experience what they saw in videos.

Today all they need to watch a blue film is the mobile phone which has been given to them by their parents. It is revealed that some school girls (from some Colombo based schools) engage in prostitution to find money to pay their mobile phone bills. No need to talk about HIV/AIDS !