What would you do if a close friend disclosed his/her HIV-positive status to you today? Jessica Kim, who wrote this piece on HIV and Stigma is one of the volunteers generously supporting AIDSfreeAFRICA with her time, talent and expertise. She will be contributing more of her opinions and wisdom on this blog.

Watch AIDS: Dangerous Silence, a 28-minute documentary exploring how silence can change a community. Created in 2007 by WNED, the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association worked in collaboration with AIDS Community Services located in Buffalo, NY. It has now been incorporated as part of the HIV education in the Buffalo Public School system, probably one of the most comprehensive programs in the United States.

Having worked around issues of sexual health including HIV, I (Jessica) have become immune to the barrage of questions that come with the job description. “Do you have extra condoms I could use?” “What’s it like getting tested for sexually transmitted infections?” “How does vaginal sex increase risk of HIV transmission?” When I was twelve, I discovered that my friend lived with her single mom, whose husband had left her a long time ago. With parents of my own who were happily married, I withheld the gasp I was about to let out and said the only thing I could think to say: “I’m sorry.” We never talked about it again. You’re thinking that it was a silly reaction on the part of my twelve-year-old self.

So, what would you do? Yes, single motherhood is a vastly different situation than the daunting prospect of living with HIV. However those in both situations face social stigma. In an increasingly politically correct world, sometimes we choose silence over facing a subject that may make us uncomfortable. But with HIV, silence is dangerous.

Those living with HIV may find themselves humiliated, eventually declining further medical support due to fear of disclosure. Others are unaware of their status because they would rather not know. Why would they as long as HIV is still perceived as a death sentence? According to the Centers of Disease Control, 1 in 4 people with HIV in the United States at the end of 2003 were unaware of their infection, with the potential to spread the virus to those they love. However with modern medicine, HIV is not necessarily a death sentence anymore, transmission between partners can be prevented, and mothers can have healthy babies without passing the virus on. We are more than 25 years from the inception of HIV, and yet stigma still lurks the dark mystery that is HIV/AIDS. As volunteers for AIDSfreeAFRICA, we generate discussions about the impediments to decreasing infection and mortality rates in Africa such as access to drugs and unemployment. Let’s talk about it.