Some white middle class people still think that they are immune to HIV.
Some white middle class people still think that they are immune to HIV.
Jacques Jacobs sits at his computer with Facebook open, his right hand trembles slightly as he clicks the 'send' option on a Friend Request. That click of a button is what Jacobs has been building himself up towards for weeks. His nerves are unsteady as he leans back into his chair, running his clammy fingers through his dark hair.
He exhales as he sees the notification: “Your friend request has been sent”. To the nervous and angry Jacobs, the word 'friend' here is a misnomer. The reason for this particular Facebook request is not to expand his social circle but get into contact with the woman against whom he could potentially bring criminal charges.
However, Jacobs is not planning on getting the courts involved. He wants to tell her that he tested positive. She did not disclose her status to him while they were together in a sexual relationship where condoms were not involved.
Jacobs says that it is just a condition:
"It’s like getting the flu; you get infected by the virus and you treat it."
He gets the words out quickly, as if he doesn't quite believe them.
The 30-something Johannesburg dweller works for a Randburg engineering company. He was shocked to find out that he was HIV-positive two years ago, after a routine six-month HIV test.
HIV/AIDS affects all
The South African government’s 2010 HIV antenatal survey revealed that three in every 100 white South Africans are HIV positive. According to statistics from the US government’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that number is 0.04 out of every 100 white people in the USA. In the UK, it is even lower at 0.01.
Despite the significantly higher infection rate in South Africa, some white people still view Aids as a ‘black epidemic’.
Some believe that their skin colour or their economic and social positioning makes it impossible for them to get infected. Jacobs was one of those people until one night changed all that.
He raises his eyebrows, with the pained look of honesty and shrugs. He knows the words have become a kind of macabre cliché but he says them anyway. "I didn’t think it would happen to me."
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids (UNAIDS) revealed that almost one in every five South Africans between the ages of 15 and 49 has HIV regardless of race. No group should exclude themselves from this statistic.
Medical professionals in South Africa, both in the public and private health sectors, have an enormous responsibility to bear in the fight against HIV and Aids. However, the same ill-informed and narrow view that HIV is a ‘black problem’ is mirrored in the private sector’s belief that HIV is a public sector problem.
Private health flaws
Are the doctors and specialists that cater to the private sector really equipped to deal with HIV if, for example, a private gynaecologist does not insist on testing the status of all pregnant patients?
Jacobs’s experience with his private GP reflects this lack of awareness. He recalls the "cold, impersonal" appointment where he found out he had HIV:
"He said to me that I had tested positive, then he just gave me a referral letter to a dietician and one for a psychiatrist."
He advises people to look after themselves. Jacobs was offered no pre- or post-test counselling, as per Government health policy.
"I don’t know if doctors don’t want to talk about it, or if they think that just because you’re white and middle-class you don’t need to worry," he says.
Why then, with all the resources available to the private health sector, is HIV testing, counselling and treatment not handled better, and in some cases not handled at all?
Staying strong
Eighteen months ago Jacques began life-long treatment in the form of Anti-retroviral therapy (ART), comprised of a combination of three separate drugs. Every evening, at 9pm, he must remember to take the cocktail of medications that keeps the virus from copying itself and so allows his immune system to function properly.
The triple therapy also reduces the risk of transmission because it means that the presence of the virus in the bloodstream is virtually undetectable. Thus, ARVs tremendously reduce the risk of infecting others. It means a lifestyle change, he concedes.
However, his ARVs have not caused any adverse side effects and he feels healthy and strong. As long as Jacobs keeps taking his medications every day at the same time, he can continue to lead a productive life.
His life is not the same as it was, though, but Jacobs acknowledges that with change and challenges come opportunity. He has taken this opportunity to create awareness around HIV in his community by starting a support group, offering people the chance to share their experiences in a safe and stigma-free space.
Jacobs sums up his experience with HIV:
"I knew it was there, I made a choice, and I got it."
He is only two years into his diagnosis and still battles feelings of anger and sadness.
His face reveals a continuing struggle against his worst enemy. It is not HIV. It is not even the woman who is responsible for infecting him. It is hindsight. As for the Friend Request, his invitation was never accepted.
Abigail Michie wrote this article as part of her Honours degree programme in Health Journalism at Rhodes University.
Public anti-retroviral service centres in Grahamstown:
Anglo-African Clinic, Anglo-African Street – 046 603 6144
Joza Clinic, Nompondo Street – 046 603 6026
Masonwabe Clinic at Settlers' Hospital, Milner Road – 046 622 2215
Or contact Makana Municipality's HIV/Aids co-ordinator Monica Mcuba at mmcuba@makana.gov.za.
Local HIV/Aids NGOs:
The Raphael Centre, 11 Donkin Street – 046) 622 8831
Grahamstown Hospice, 15 Milner Street -046 622 9661
Alternatively, speak to your doctor about testing, counselling and treatment services available in Grahamstown.
