Young people are more susceptible to contracting AIDS than other members of the society, and they should be more careful in this regard and be aware of preventive behaviors regarding its transmission and stay safe from its danger.
AIDS is one of those diseases whose physical pain is a small part of the problems that the sick person is dealing with. It is safe to say that AIDS disease in today’s Iranian society is equal to infamy and stigmas such as sexual promiscuity.
While almost more than 90% of the society knows that these relationships are one of the causes of AIDS and there are other cases as well. In the meantime, AIDS patients are facing many problems because they cannot cure like other incurable diseases such as cancer and MS. .. express themselves and sometimes benefit from the sympathy of others.
Because as soon as they get sick, most of the people around them reject them and avoid them. AIDS is one of those diseases that brings strange loneliness. Words, hadiths and gossips, which are sometimes associated with slander and bad behavior; The behavior of the society puts pressure on the body of these people to such an extent that it often forces them to keep silent about their illness.
This is despite the fact that during the last decade, according to some officials, the incidence of AIDS through sexual relations has been increasing in Iran. But the main question here is whether the sick person should be blamed for suffering from this disease? Aren’t the society and the many damages in it the reason for the spread of such a wave in the country? In the meantime, what should be done for those who are infected? Is the rejection of these patients from the society and mental and emotional abuse by people a suitable way to avoid the spread of this disease? Perhaps the most important question is what should be done to prevent others from contracting AIDS?
Young people are the most affected by AIDS
In August of this year, Dr. Abbas Sadaqat, the head of the AIDS Department of the Ministry of Health, Medical Education and Health, announced that until the beginning of April this year, as many as 29,414 people with HIV/AIDS have been identified in the country, 88% of whom are men. 12% are women. 45.6 percent of HIV patients whose age at the time of diagnosis was known were in the age group of 25-34 years, which is the highest proportion among the age groups.
According to Dr. Sedaghat, the causes of HIV among all the cases that have been registered in the country since 1365 are, respectively, injection with common devices in drug users (66.6%), sexual intercourse (14.5%) and transmission from mother to child. 1.4 percent) and the way of transmission remains unclear in 16.7 percent of this group. Comparing this statistic with the cases reported in 2013, injection addiction accounts for 43.7%, sexual intercourse accounts for 37.3%, and mother-to-child transmission accounts for 4%.
The statistics show the growth of this type of disease and of course the lack of awareness of people to avoid this problem. Culturalization is one of the words that is mentioned a lot in these situations, but what exactly is this culturalization that still does not exist and has caused the growth of this disease?
The bad behavior of society is the reason for continuing to get AIDS
Javad, 35 years old, is an AIDS patient who has been struggling with AIDS for more than 13 years. He, who contracted this disease through the use of drugs, told Rozan about the problems of this disease: Unfortunately, when the people around them understand the person’s problem, the first reaction is the stigma attached to the AIDS patient. Our society becomes defensive in front of AIDS patients in such a way that these patients are often judged and seen as corrupt people of the society, while this is not the case.
He says about the reaction of those around him to the disease: At first, many families are afraid and even reject the sick person because they think that being with the patient under the same roof and using tools such as towels, spoons and forks, etc. .. causes the disease to be transmitted, while it is not.
There were even cases when the hospital refused to accept a pregnant woman with AIDS and we had to take her to several hospitals until finally one of them agreed to accept her.
Javad continues: Unfortunately, this reaction is also in front of children. There have been cases where a child has been expelled from school because of AIDS, so people are afraid to bring up their illness and try to seek refuge alone.
Society forces us to hide AIDS
Javad says: “Unfortunately, the society forces the AIDS patient to hide his illness, and this is not in the interest of both sides.” For example, I myself have been to the dentist many times, but when I told the doctor about my illness, he kicked me out of the office. This behavior causes some patients to hide their problem, which creates a disaster. For example, after I participated in a TV show, the hairdresser who always cut my hair stopped accepting me. This is a disaster that puts pressure on the patient mentally.
He says about the reaction of patients upon learning about their condition: Unfortunately, as soon as a person learns about his illness, he feels that it is over. In fact, the AIDS patient sinks into a black cloud. This process of isolation and shock sometimes lasts for several years, for example, I myself was in a room for three years and had no contact with anyone. Some people also do dangerous things and so to speak, try to take revenge on the society that made them sick and rejects them today. Some commit suicide, but we at the AIDS Patients Association try to calm this process.
I got married after contracting AIDS
Javad says: AIDS is not the end of the road, contrary to public opinion. After contracting AIDS, I married a woman who is also sick, and now we have two healthy children. People should know that AIDS patients have the right to live and, contrary to popular belief, their lives do not end in one or two years.
I have a friend who contracted this disease from childhood through contaminated blood and has been struggling with this disease for 35 years. I hope for a long life and I am happy with what I have today. My wife understands me more than anyone else and we try to live life moment by moment.
He considers culture building to be an urgent need of the society to recognize AIDS and says: We at the positive club are trying to reduce the harm of this disease, but the issue must be scrutinized through the media to change people’s views.
AIDS patients are the product of society’s conditions
Dr. Amanullah Qaraei Moghadam, a sociologist and lecturer at the university, referring to the importance of creating culture in order to prevent the harm of AIDS in the society, told Rozan reporter: Society is afraid of this disease, which is natural, but in this regard, the media should be more active. to act and create a culture so that both the rate of this disease is reduced and the victims suffer less psychological pressure from the society.
He further added: These people are disabled due to the unfavorable conditions of the society. In fact, it is the harms of the society that have pushed them in this direction, so the kindness of people and society in the first place can affect the behavior of these people and at the same time prevent the increase of harms. This sociologist emphasized: The bad attitude of the society has sometimes caused these people to hide themselves and to engage in risky behavior out of fear of inappropriate treatment, which has a negative impact on the society as a whole.
Teaching sexual behaviors in teenagers is mandatory
Referring to the increase of sexually transmitted AIDS, Qaraei Moghadam said: We should have education in schools, especially among pre-puberty teenagers, and dedicate a part of textbooks to this category so that young people and teenagers know risky behaviors and avoid them.
He stressed: We should not take the issue of education superficially and try to hide the problem because AIDS and its problems exist in society and cannot be forgotten. AIDS or any other disease is primarily an injury and pain. For sure, a patient needs the love, kindness and appropriate behavior of the people of a society in the first step, and this is also true in the case of AIDS. It may be necessary to take a fresh look at this category and prevent the growth of this phenomenon and harm patients in this area by creating culture and education.
