HIV/ AIDS continues to ravage African countries despite concerted efforts by all stakeholders to try and manage and limit its spread. It was approximated in 2007 that Sub Saharan Africa had 22.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
While the community at large still continues to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, some members of the community have started to give up and are now becoming resigned to a fate where HIV/AIDS is a probability, with hope being invested in the availability of anti-retrovirals (ARV’s), when the time comes. Even then, this hope is limited, as only about 25% of those in need of ARV’s have access to them at the moment.
Many people are suffering from information overload and slogan fatigue. The majority can now sing the ABC message in their sleep and can recite the do’s and don’ts as easily. It seems as if everyone is trying, but the message still seems bleak. That’s why the idea of behaviour change is fast losing its fame. Where then can we draw our hope from?
Of course statistics will show a decline in the incidence of the disease, but even as these rates of new infections decrease we seem to be seeing more and more people who are infected. Maybe its because stigma is decreasing and more people are now coming out in the open about their status, or more are now knowledgeable about their status. Possibly we are seeing those who were already infected going through the cycle of the illness or possibly other social factors such as poverty are acting as catalyst of the disease, resulting in more opportunist infections.
Whatever the cause we all are now living with this disease in one way or the other. Some of us, our spouses, parents, friends and family members as well as neighbours, workmates we love and know are affected.
We should be integrating a message of hope in our HIV/AIDS management program otherwise we run the risk of frustrating the public and discouraging those who are trying to make a change.
