Positive thoughts

"More than anything I hate in this world is the HIV", said the teacher to her pupils in A's school on the Wolrd Aids Day. Her farther had died of AIDS. "He caught TB in the end and died in three days".

From the story I gather there was no treatment either available or was not seeked for.

Every single death out of the almost 30 million deaths caused by the virus in the world is a far-reaching personal, social, economic and demographical tragedy to every son and every daughter, to every mother and every father, to every sister and brother, to every husband and every wife, to a friend and to a colleague, to a community small and large.

In light of this it is quite right not to celebrate the World Aids Day but to observe it, to commemorade the victims of the fast spreading, effectively stigmatising disease, creating uncountable suffering, social exclusion, discrimination and violations of human rights.

The following day, via my newly made involment in the workplace HIV care and information team, I participated the World UN AIDS Day event. The speeches were done, a children's drama group was performing, the lunch and coffee was served in the sunshine embraced rose garden in the midst of female-condom demonstrations, when a collegue came over and told me his news: "The issue over my daughter's right to receive anti retroviral treatment has been cleared and recognised".

He was so happy for the future well being of his family, and I was so happy to hear such good news concerning especially his lovely, lively daughter. It thus became evident that the day is also about celebration: clelebration over all the success stories, on an individual and on a larger scale, celebration over the hard work people are involved in, fighting against the spread of the disease, against the stigma, for the right to treatment for all, for the right of movement, for the recognision and for all aspects of living an HIV-positive life and all the hundreds of issues realted with the disease, and for moving forward step by step.

The HIV/AIDS prevalance in Nepal is 0.49 %, counting to about 15 000 positive individuals. Within our own workplace globally, the prevalance is 1.4 %, counting up to about 1400 staff members and estimated 2400 family members living with HIV.

Yes, we must have time to stop to commemorade and feel empathy towards the lost lives, we must observe, but also, in front of these kind of figures, we must also act. And any positive act towards a more positive life of a positive person is definately worth celebrating.