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HIV/AIDs in Schools

Students living with HIV/Aids have decried stigma in schools where peers give them funny names and teachers using them as examples during reproductive health classes. A student’s HIV positive status is private medical information. Therefore, the student is not required to divulge this to get college admission, register for a class or participate in a school activity. However, in certain situations, someone who is HIV positive has a moral and perhaps even legal obligation to notify another. This situation most commonly applies to sexual partners.

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Living a positive life is the way to go, but what does one do when their efforts to live positively are frustrated? Among things that over the years have been highlighted as pronounced in the fight against HIV is the stigma that still surrounds it.

The majority of those who learn of a student’s HIV status are going to treat them exactly the same as they would otherwise. Unfortunately, there may be some who don’t. The truth is that a student with HIV may find themselves encountering discrimination while in college. This can include being excluded from a social event or kept out of a particular class or activity.

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Schools need to ensure that a pupil who discloses their HIV diagnosis will be sensitively and professionally supported. If teachers become aware that a child in school is living with HIV, they need to understand that there is no risk to anyone else, and that confidentiality should be respected

HIV is no longer the life-threatening disease it used to be. A number of antiretroviral treatments are available that can drastically extend the lifespan of an individual with HIV. antiretroviral treatments can turn an HIV infection into a chronic disease and an individual can live a normal life span. It’s very important to regularly see a physician so they can monitor your HIV and help maintain health and wellness.

As a matter of fact, stigma, discrimination and disclosure issues were identified as the most outstanding of all barriers to adherence to antiretroviral therapy and retention for adolescents in a 2015 study; Adherence to antiretroviral therapy and retention in care for adolescents living with HIV from 10 districts in Uganda.