World AIDS Day - December 1

CONTEXT. Zambia's first reported AIDS diagnosis in 1984 was followed by a rapid rise in HIV prevalence (that is, the proportion of people who are living with HIV). At the end of 2005, UNAIDS/WHO estimates that 17% of people aged 15-49 years old were living with HIV or AIDS. Of these million adults, 57% were women. Young women aged 15-19 are around six times more likely to be infected than are males of the same age. Unlike in some countries, HIV in Zambia is not primarily a disease of the most underprivileged; infection rates are very high among wealthier people and the better educated. However, it is the poorest who are least able to protect themselves from HIV or to cope with the impact of AIDS. A little under 40% of Zambians live in towns or cities, and HIV prevalence is considerably higher in these urban areas than elsewhere. It has been estimated that urban areas contain 54% of all adults living with HIV or AIDS.

STIGMA. Because HIV can be sexually transmitted, it is often presumed that those living with the virus have brought disease upon themselves by having many sexual partners, and moral judgments are made. Women are especially vulnerable to this prejudice, and they may also be blamed for infecting their children (even though the father is often the first to be infected).
Stigma does not just cause pain to individuals, but also hampers prevention and care programs. Those who fear becoming stigmatized will be unwilling to volunteer for an HIV test; even purchasing condoms or discussing safer sex may be seen as an indication of infection and so be stigmatized. People who know or suspect that they are HIV-positive may be reluctant to reveal their status - even to their partners and family - or to come forward for treatment.