HIV/AIDS patients still having to deal with stigma and discrimination

KINGSTON, Jamaica - DESPITE ongoing efforts to tackle stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV and AIDS, infected persons are still having to deal with intolerance and ostracism.
 
According to www.jamaicaobserver.com, at a ceremony marking the 10th Anniversary of the declaration of World AIDS Day held on December 1, 2008 at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, Rosemarie Stone, widow of late university professor Carl Stone and who is also infected with the disease, explained that she either experienced or has been made aware of instances of discrimination.

“…she recounted how one young woman expressed discomfort at being around persons living with the disease.  When she reminded the young girl that she was herself HIV positive, Stone said she was asked if people ate from her when she cooked. She also spoke of people ordering candles from Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) with the instruction that they should not bear the organisation's mark as this would be a deterrent to customers, fearful they would contract the disease by coming into contact with the items made by persons living with the disease.”

Stone was reported by the Jamaica Observer as noting that Jamaica has made strides in the fight against the disease and associated stigma and discrimination but acknowledged that, “…there are still many hurdles to overcome".

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding spoke of the days when people on that island were infected with leprosy which led to the passage of the Leprosy Act that called for all lepers to be ostracised and placed in a home created for that purpose. It was against the law, Golding expressed, for lepers to sell food or even be in the company of one who sold food.

According to the Jamaica Observer, PM Golding expressed, “If we hadn't come out of this dark age then the response would have been the same to HIV." ~~Adz:Right~~