The 21of May is the World Remembrance Day of AIDS Victims. It is celebrated on every third Sunday of May. In Belarus relatives of these people beware to say about the reason of death of their loved ones. They are worried about society’s reaction. (23-APR-06)
Source www.naviny.by
The first Remembrance Day was held in San Francisco (USA) in 1983 by the people who were deeply anxious of AIDS problem, which affected them personally. From that very time different activities take place to pay the tribute to the memory of decedents and give the opportunity to alive people to muse about that AIDS’ epidemic can concern everyone. More than 25 million people have died all over the world from the time of HIV finding out in 1981. In 2005 the amount of people living with HIV measured up to 40,3 millions of people.
0.07% of the population of Belarus is HIV- positive
“Belarus is situated far from the region where HIV epidemic spreads fast.” – Mrs. Sultanoglu, UNDP representative in Belarus, has noticed- “the quantity of people who have HIV is not terrible”. At present the whole amount of registered HIV infection cases in Belarus is 7309 people. It makes up to 0.07% out of the whole population of Belarus.
According to the official information the quantity of virus bearers in Belarus has increased by 604 people in 2005. The main way of propagation is sexual contacts. 797 people have died because of HIV infection and 255 of them on AIDS stage.
People beware of discrimination.
Up to the head of HIV-AIDS prevention department Mrs. Maleshka “none of these people was left without support till the last day of life”. Any way it is not secret that infected people and their relatives beware of discrimination from the side of society.
“As a rule, those people ask not to advertise the reason of death of the infected person. May be, they have the feeling that if anyone get to know about it, some measures will be taken against them- in the sphere of work, career, studying and so on” – said Mrs. Maleshka
Way to God
Stigma and discrimination from the side of society and authorities make some infected people to look for understanding in church. This is the example of one woman.
(Alena, 29 and her husband). “In 2000 the analysis has showed the positive result for HIV infection. We have been looking for the support everywhere. We did not find it in the center of AIDS prevention. They were looking at us as we were “human drift-wood”. I have asked God for help – he has led us to the church”.
Only previous year 3.100 million people died of HIV-AIDS. More than 40 million of Earth dwellers are HIV-positive. Specialists consider that as a result of HIV-AIDS deaths among grown-ups about 25 million children will become orphans by 2010.
