Stigma
by Susan Loftin, RN

Have you ever lived with a stigma because you had a handicap or were different from other people? I have. I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 12 years-old, and put in a back brace for 4 years. Back in the ‘70s, having a handicap wasn’t acceptable in society, and I couldn’t hide it since I had to wear that brace. I was shunned by strangers as well as family and friends. I was treated as if I had a contagious disease. People would take one look at me and go out of their way to avoid me. Life was miserable to say the least.

Prejudice is a terrible disease based on fear and ignorance. It doesn’t matter what the target is: scoliosis, race, HIV/AIDS. We have made some good progress on prejudice against people with visible handicaps such as scoliosis or people who are wheelchair bound as well as race although we still have a long way to go. Unfortunately we are not near as far along in making the same progress when it comes to prejudice against people with HIV/AIDS, especially children who are stricken.

In 1983 I was granted a license by the state of Missouri to practice nursing and started my career in a neonatal intensive care nursery. I worked there for 10 years then changed jobs and worked for a home health agency. With both jobs I worked with babies and children who were HIV+, and in those 15 years I never contracted HIV/AIDS. How? Because I used universal precautions whenever I handled blood. Did I touch the children with my bare hands? Sure! Did I hug them? You bet I did, with their parents permission of course. Every child needs a hug now and then. Was I afraid of contracting HIV/AIDS? No, because I knew the facts.

The facts are that HIV/AIDS are transmitted only through exposure to blood, through sexual contact, or sharing needles with an infected person. In the case of children with HIV/AIDS it is contracted at birth from the infected mother or from breast milk from the infected mother.

Another fact is that HIV/AIDS cannot be contracted through casual contact. You cannot contract it by hugging or kissing an infected person. You cannot contract it by playing with an infected child. HIV/AIDS is not an airborne pathogen - you cannot contract it if an infected person sneezes or coughs on you. You cannot contract it through an infected persons perspiration. Scientific evidence supports these claims. Check out the Centers for Disease Control for yourself at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm

Educate yourself on HIV/AIDS, learn the facts, and help stop the stigma.