Awareness on HIV needs to go out

AWARENESS on HIV and AIDS needs to go out to prevent more people from getting infected with HIV, says Margaret Marabe, a long-time advocate on HIV. Ms Marabe said there was a lot of awareness years ago, but this has drastically gone down.“Communities must do awareness so people can go for HIV test,’’ she said. “Churches can ask us to come and do awareness and conduct (counselling and HIV) tests.She said many people, including school-aged children are getting infected with HIV, awareness needs to go out everywhere, including schools and villages or rural communities. She said those who are concerned that they have HIV must not be afraid to go for a HIV test because there is a treatment that can help prolong their lives. Ms Marabe has been on HIV treatment for 18 years now, but she was diagnosed with the virus earlier in 1997. This was when she was seriously ill and admitted at a hospital. Her condition was described as being in stage four. “I had a big sore (on my side) and I could not eat and speak,’’ she says.Through faith and care of her sister, she recovered. Then in 2004, she became one of the first HIV people to be put on treatment when antiretroviral therapy (ARV) was introduced at the Heduru clinic, Port Moresby. Her son was then small and she hoped that she would live to see him grow up. Next month, she is joyfully expecting her first grandchild from him. Ms Marabe said unlike before, there is no stigma and discrimination today. “There is no stigma and discrimination in HIV. What people have is ‘self-stigma’’.Ms Marabe is currently working in HIV counselling and testing with Hope Worldwide PNG. Ms Marabe was one of the 22 participants of the recent provider Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT) organised and run by the National Department of Health with support from the World Vision and Global Fund. It was held at Tuhava, 30-minute drive outside Port Moresby.