Executive Director of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), Kandasi Walton-Levermore, says there is need to increase efforts to eliminate HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
She noted that while significant progress has been made in addressing harassment and abuse of persons living with HIV, discrimination is still rampant.
“We have become a little bit more sophisticated in how we deliver our discriminatory acts – excluding people, discussing people’s business, having it as gossip, denying persons access to some services and to some spaces because of their HIV status,” she pointed out.
“We are still seeing too many people who do not understand HIV, and the myths continue to be out there. We are asking Jamaicans to be mindful that HIV like many other conditions is manageable, and once the individual is diagnosed, the Government of Jamaica has made it possible for all such persons to get access to antiretroviral medication free of cost,” Walton-Levermore said.
The JASL executive director said that once persons are taking their medication, the virus is suppressed, noting that individuals can live fulfilling and healthy lives with an HIV diagnosis.
“So, we are asking people to show love and create space for people to be comfortable and to be accepted,” she implored.
Walton-Levermore shared that persons living with HIV have the right to privacy, especially concerning medical-related information.
She pointed out that incidents of “unauthorised disclosures” are too rampant.
“Stop those things. They are not helping you, the persons who are doing it [making the disclosures], and certainly not helping the persons you are doing it to,” she said.
Jamaica AIDS Support for Life is the oldest and largest non-governmental organisation in the English-speaking Caribbean, dedicated to providing support and services to those affected by HIV and other health issues in Jamaica.
Through initiatives like ‘One Life, One Health’, JASL continues to advocate for equitable healthcare access and improve health outcomes for all Jamaicans.
December 1 was observed as World AIDS Day, under the theme ‘Take the Rights Path’.