AFRICA/MALAWI - Church warning about discriminatory behavior towards people with HIV

Wednesday, 17 March 2021 healthcare   discrimination   human rights  

Liwonde (Agenzia Fides) - "We are all equal and we must support and encourage each other so that even people with HIV can participate in the activities of the church and in the work of the development of the country". This is the warning issued by the Catholic National Health Coordinator of the Bishops' Conference of Malawi (ECM), Bertha Magomero, to all those who discriminate against people with HIV and AIDS.
During a recent supervisory meeting held in the District of Machinga, Liwonde, with HIV-positive volunteers involved in the Episcopal Conference, religious leaders and HIV test kit distributors working within the framework of the Faith and Community Initiative (FCI) project, Bertha Magomero stressed that it is only without discrimination that the country will be a better place in which to live.
"It is sad to note that even family members are the first to discriminate against people living with HIV and AIDS. These people live healthier lives than those who are not screened. Magomero added that these attitudes lead many HIV-positive people to not accept test results and to avoid antiretrovirals, worsening the spread of the virus. "There is more life in knowing your own condition than living in denial", insisted the coordinator.
Many people hide their condition or avoid treatment in order to avoid discrimination or mistreatment by friends and relatives. This is also why the Episcopal Conference, through the Commissions for Health and for Communication, has called for greater involvement in favor of AIDS screening tests, treatment and adherence to treatment in the fight against the pandemic in the districts of Machinga and Mangochi, as part of the FCI project.
Among the testimonies that emerged during the meeting, we note that of an HIV-positive person in treatment who said that he had tested positive in 1983 and had started receiving antiretrovirals that same year. "It was difficult to accept that I would have taken them for the rest of my life even though I accepted that fact afterwards. However, because of my family's reaction, I stopped taking them, convinced that it was better to die than to live with AIDS. After various meetings with the volunteers, I realized that it was possible to continue living happily with AIDS and I decided to start taking antiretrovirals again, a decision I will never regret".
One of the religious leaders of Saint Patrick parish of Mofolo Woyera, declared that they will go forward in their action of accompaniment, prevention and dissemination of messages of hope for all. "Since the start of the FCI project, many have responded positively". (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 17/3/2021)


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