How Nigeria ‘Kills’ Children Living With HIV Part 1
…We still have a lot of work to de-stigmatize HIV- Health Minister
Nigeria’s HIV epidemic affects all population groups and geographic areas of the country. Consequently, February 2015, the Federal Government signed into law the HIV/AIDS anti-discrimination bill to protect the rights and dignity of people living with HIV. Thus, making it illegal to discriminate against people based on their HIV status.
TOBORE OVUORIE, in her diary-like five-part investigative report across seven states in Nigeria- Ogun, Lagos, Edo, Delta, Imo, Benue and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, reveals children of school age living with HIV are overlooked when populations disproportionately impacted by the epidemic are assessed. These kids, the investigation discloses, are not only stigmatised and discriminated against by the society but are denied their human rights to educational opportunities.
BIRTHING THE STORY
It all began sometime in February 2018 when I pitched a story; this story actually, to the Code For Africa team. I was to decide the editorial. The states I want combined and those to go independent. Code For Africa has no control over editorials.
My-colleague-turned-to-friend-and-sister, Vanessa Offiong of Daily Trust Newspaper, whom I had confided in, warned me not to go to any school close to where I live.
“Don’t even go to a school within the jurisdiction where you live. Tobore, we are Nigerians. The news will spread fast that your kids have HIV. You don’t want to start hunting for a new apartment because your landlord won’t understand.”
The story?
I was to move around as many schools as possible, across seven states, on a simple mission: to find out if the school authorities will grant my kids admission without any form of biases because of their health status.
What about their health status?
They are supposedly living with HIV.
Yes! The Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
GOD WILL HEAL THEM BUT WE CAN’T ADMIT HIV POSITIVE KIDS INTO THE SCHOOL…!
March 28th, 2018
It’s like she was on red alert before my arrival. “We don’t accept students during third term. It is until the new session in September.” The head teacher of Ojodu primary school three at Grammar school bus-stop, a suburb in Lagos state.
Maybe there was something about me which oozed of admission inquiry.
“What class are they now?” She sort of changed her mind.
“They are presently in primary one.”
“If they are presently in primary one, maybe I can help you.” My lucky hunch!
“Thank you very much.”
“But you will need to bring them let me see them first. Are they your children?”
I nodded in the affirmative, silently praying she wouldn’t change her mind. She seemed impulsive.
“What of the school they are going to?”
“They are in Delta state. The issue is that along the line, they tested positive to HIV and the school then advised after the exams that we can’t keep them in the school anymore.”
“And how are you sure that we would put them in our own school?…We have nurses that used to come and attend to these children…How are you coping? The HIV positive patients, they use drugs?”
“Yes.”
“And you are using it for them?”
“Yes.”
“We also have nurses that attend to our children. Maybe when we resume, you come and see me let me make inquiries maybe there is a way we can help them.”
And then she answered a personal phone call. I was there and heard everything she said over the phone. There was nothing related to the kids and I. How come immediately she got off the phone, she sang another song, I still can’t comprehend over 16 weeks later.
“You know these public school children, they play a lot. And it is not something you can start telling teachers that this child is having this thing o. They will just start treating the child somehow…”
She went on to tell me about how the students at schools one, two and three play rough, then how they injure themselves and the gushing blood. “It’s only God who really protects these children. Now, you can imagine what would have happened if any of them had that thing?”
I couldn’t believe she was referring to HIV as ‘that thing’. Besides, the school doesn’t test the students for HIV before they are admitted, so how could she make such sweeping statement about what would happen if any of the students were living with the virus?
I tried to persuade her that my kids are on antiretroviral (ART) so pose no threat. She didn’t understand. And didn’t want to know.
“It is dangerous. It would be risky admitting them.”
“They are on medications and very healthy.”
“Before we know it, other children will have it too because children will be children. They are innocent.”
“My kids are on very great health regime. Their viral load is undetectable so their classmates will be safe with them.”
There was a brief silence. Seemed like she was having a rethink on hearing about their undetectable viral load.
“How did they get it?”
I wondered if there was any correlation between how they got it and their right to educational opportunities. Or, was she trying to assess me too? If they contracted it from me? Well, she sort of had the knife and the yam.
“Through blood transfusion.”
“Madam, don’t worry, God will heal them. You believe God still performs miracles? But the kids here are so many. They are over 3,000 of them in the three schools occupying this compound, so the teachers can’t really monitor them.”
I was shocked. And speechless. So why those questions? I wondered.
“There is this other public school at Saabo. Just tell an okada rider to take you to the government school at Saabo. They will take you there. It’s the only one there and is owned by the Lagos state government. They are fewer in population.”
She already stood up while speaking. I got the message. I left the brief comfort provided by the chair in her office. When she was done talking, I put in a simple “thanks a lot ma, I greatly appreciate your efforts.”
“Don’t worry, God will heal them.”
KIDS ON HIV TREATMENT HEALTHIER THAN HIV-NEGATIVE CHILDREN
Mr. Obatunde Oladapo, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Oyo State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OyoSACA) when contacted over this, said “A child that is HIV positive and is on treatment is not a sickly child, is not less active, is not less intelligent, and the child who is on HIV treatment is most likely going to be healthier than other children because the child is being put through a better health seeking practice.”
He continued that “Once anybody’s HIV viral load is undetectable, that person is not infectious anymore. Therefore, the fear that if the child cuts him or herself with razor or whatever or the other, and it cuts another child and all these balderdash we have been hearing, is not there anymore”.
WE DON’T ADMIT ANY CHILD WITH HEALTH ISSUES, HIV, INTO THIS SCHOOL!
All schools I visited shared something in common. The headmasters, headmistresses, principals or whoever represented the school either exclaimed “Aaaaah!”, or moved their heads backwards or had their eyes wide open or their lips parted with nothing coming out, immediately I told them my kid for whom I sought admission into their schools is living with HIV.
I decided to head for the school owned by the church I attend. Maryland Comprehensive High School is not located within the compound of St. Agnes Catholic Church by mistake. It is owned by the Catholic church and a Reverend Sister is in charge of its administration.
I remember vividly it was the second day of August this year. I walked into the premises with so much confidence after morning Mass that breezy Thursday morning.
“I am here to make inquiries about bringing two kids to the school,” I began at the secretary to the principal’s office.
Unlike every other schools I had been to where I was told all financial implications, it was quite different here. The secretary told me “what is obtainable here is you will purchase a form first, after the form, every other information will be given to you.”
“How much is the form?”
“The form is N10,000. Let the child pass the exam first, and we will give you every other information you need.”
“N10,000 per form?” I was kind of shocked. Too expensive for just a form with no certainty a child will be granted admission, I thought.
“Yes, per form. Our school is doing summer coaching, if you’ll want to put them too, you can, it is open to everybody.” She went on to tell me that the summer coaching had started, while the entry examination into the school will hold on the 25th of August. She wouldn’t tell me the cost for school fees until after the kids have written and passed the exams.
While speaking, some women filed in like soldier ants and sat down. “Please, could I see you about something, I can’t really say it out here? It’s as regards the kids,” I asked the young lady remembering Vanessa’s advice. Though I don’t live around, but I worship here. These women must not hear I have anything to do with HIV. She agrees to join me outside her office.
“I am wondering if this will be an issue after the children must have written the exams and passed it. They are HIV positive. Will they be accepted” She interjected “the both of them?” And I answered in the affirmative.
“Because we too, we do our medical tests, when we do our medical tests, I don’t know o. I don’t know.” She sounded worried and confused.
“You have the school hospital and all that?”
“Yes.”
“They are actually confirmed and they are on antiretroviral.”
“That is what I don’t know. Even some that are, when it comes to health issues in some children, they will tell them if it is what the children can easily get from each other, they will tell them that they should… it depends on the health issue sha. It depends on the health issue. I can’t really tell.”
She went on to tell me they have never had an issue like mine, so couldn’t tell me a yes or no. I suggested if she would like to confirm from the school authorities first. Then, she offered me a seat on the corridor just opposite her office’s door.
Vanessa was right. Few minutes after the secretary went back into her office, one of the women who came in to sit while I was there, opened the door and peeped, no, stared at me, for it was not for a few seconds. I was sitting alone at the time and she looked directly at me with our eyes locked. When I removed my glasses to match her with a do-I-look-like-your-missing-child stare, she backed off, and shut the door.
I waited for very well over an hour watching parents, teachers and other persons go in and out of the principal’s office. There are many trees lined in front of the school building. In short, the mission compound is full of trees. And with this comes breeze and cold. I shivered during my long wait for a response. The jacket I wore was just a figurehead.
I least expected the secretary when she walked up to me. I had gotten used to her opening her office door, walking down the corridor and back without saying a word to me. In all the while, several persons had come sit by my side, gone in to see the principal and left. A woman few minutes before the secretary surfaced, had sat on the same bench with me by my left. Then, the secretary turned up and bent over me to my right speaking in almost a whisper.
“I have been able to see her (the principal) regarding that thing. She said no. There is no how they can do that admission.
“Why?”
“Hmmmmmm…”
“You said?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. But that is how they operate here. It has been like that. Before they (the students) come, they have to do X-ray and everything, and everything, and anyone with health issue is not taken.”
“Ok. Anyone with health issue is not admitted?”
“Yes. Yes. That they will just be carrying the health issue up and down.”
“Ok.” I became numb. And don’t know why.
“It is well. God bless you.” She straightened up immediately, turned back and walked into her office as if well rehearsed.
The HIV pandemic has ravaged mankind for over three decades with Nigeria having her first case in 1985 in a sexually active 13 year-old girl. Reports however indicate the incidence of new infections to have declined globally and this may not be unconnected with increased prevention and control measures.
The Lagos State Agency for the Control of AIDS (LSACA) says there have been increased surveillance activities to complement control measures in recent years.
But in a 2017 spectrum estimates by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), there are 196,534 persons age 15 years and above, living with HIV in Lagos state, whilst only 38.84 percent of them are on antiretroviral (ART) coverage. Unfortunately, 21,520 children between the ages zero to 14 years have the virus, with 50.39 percent of these kids on ART coverage.
Recent statistics courtesy the Lagos state governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode revealed 9,579 fresh HIV cases were recorded in the state between January and June 2016. But NACA/UNAIDS in their joint survey say 17,667 mothers are currently in need of PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission) care. This explains why 17,801 persons are newly infected in the state.
Unfortunately, children in all categories described so far, are presently in primary and secondary schools respectively all over Lagos state.
WE WILL ADMIT THE HIV POSITIVE KIDS IF HEALTH STATUS IS KEPT A SECRET
2nd August 2018
Mrs. Olaleye, a staff at the school told me for the kids to be students at St. Gloria’s College, Ikeja, Lagos, I am to first buy the school’s admission form at N8,000 each. Then, they will write a test. The date will be fixed after purchasing the form to note their placements into the junior and senior secondary schools respectively. If they perform well, they will be offered admission, if the other way round, she said “We always have a way around it with the parents, if we can work on them from home, probably get them a lesson teacher to brush them up to meet up to the standard.”
She said the fee for the first term is N215, 000. The fees for all the classes are the same. “N215,000 for first term, N215,000 for second term and N215,000 for third term,” she emphasized.
The N215,000 is for tuition, stationery, lunch and ICT, while for uniforms, textbooks and PTA, another N90,000 would be needed for the first term. Subsequent terms, I would pay only N215,000.
Then, I went straight to why I was there. “I wouldn’t know if this would pose as a challenge. The child that is going to JSS two, she is HIV positive. I wouldn’t know if it would be a challenge accepting her?”
Mrs. Olaleye told me she couldn’t answer that. She suggested I dropped my phone number with her and she will revert to me after discussing with the principal because it is not a decision she could make. “I may look at it as there’s nothing wrong, while she may look at it as there’s something wrong. I don’t know. So, it has to be a decision that will be taken by the principal.”
I collected her phone number too. Since my moving around schools, no one who collected my phone number ever called as promised. On my way out of the school, Mrs. Olaleye stopped me and asked “I hope it isn’t something that is showing on her physically?”
She advised I stopped disclosing her status even to proposed schools for admission. “Even the way you have also said it, I don’t know, I don’t think it is something that you should be saying to people, personally, I don’t know. Personal opinion.”
She advised I counsel my daughter that her living with HIV is something she must not tell any other person in order to avert being stigmatised.
“I will ask her (the principal) since you have mentioned it. Assuming you didn’t mention it, it would have just remained like that. But since you have mentioned it, I will mention it to her, if probably she would also want to see the mother, aunt or whoever, to have a one-on-one discussion, it’s left for her to decide,” were her parting words to me.
9TH AUGUST 2018
Exactly a week later, I phoned Mrs. Olaleye for the principal’s verdict.
“You are the one that said she would call me that I will give you a feedback?” she tried confirming my identity.
“Yes, ma.”
“Can I know your name? What is your name? You know, you told me your name that day, so I just want to confirm through that.”
“My full name is Efetobore Mit,” I remembered telling her exactly that.
“Okay. I discussed with her. She said there is nothing wrong in her being in the school and she would also want to have a word with the parents. I don’t know what with the discussion. You know I told you that day…that is the only thing she said.”
Oh. My lucky hunch. Not a bad outing after all, I told myself.
Mrs. Olaleye then dropped what I never expected nor imagined.
“She is going to have a word with the parents. The child can be admitted if it is not said everywhere. You know, like some people will go here and there and they will begin to say it. She doesn’t want that. That if it is exposed to the children (students in the school) and they (their parents) heard at home, it can become another issue. But to her, she does not discriminate.”
“Interesting!” I said aloud after ending the phone call. No life was in the room with me.
SCHOOLS AFRAID OF SOCIAL STIGMA
Renowned lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights activist, Mr. Festus Keyamo exclusively told me the law frowns at every form of discrimination against people living with HIV. While condemning schools for refusing to admit kids living with HIV, he noted they are afraid of the social stigma because parents will withdraw their children from such schools immediately they hear someone with HIV is in the class.
“THEY (HIV POSITIVE CHILDREN) WILL GIVE US TROUBLE!”
OJODU JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
The security guard watching over the Ojodu Junior High School introduced me to Mr. Adeniji, who works with the school. I would later get to know he is a senior officer on level 15 due for retirement December this year. It was very sunny that 28th day of March while the OJHS students, as they are called, played around. Perhaps it was their lunch break. I then told Mr. Adeniji I had a set of twin for admission into JSS one the following term.
“It is a question of little money. Just N12,000. Just for their names to come out. No uniforms o. Nothing again o. Just to help you for their names to come out, that is all,” Mr. Adeniji stressed.
This is a government school so why the N12,000 just for their names to come out? I as usual imagined. Then he continued “When out, you pay N1,430 for registration which includes a tie and sportswear. You will buy them exercise books, you will buy them bata (shoes) black, socks black, belt black, and you will buy them uniforms.
As usual again, I agreed to everything he said. Then told him about the HIV status of the kids.
“That is a very tough one. How will they be taking their medication? … It is better you work on that one. … The scientists are working to find solutions to it. … I will find out about the government laws on this.”
Exactly five months later, I was back at the school and met with Mrs. Thanni- Olodo, Asisat Folabomi, secretary to the school principal. I told her I had a set of twin for admission into JSS two.
“Haaa. JSS two?” I responded in the affirmative. “If it is JSS two, by this time tomorrow, you won’t have the opportunity again o.”
“Why?”
“Because the form is closing tomorrow.”She told me each of the forms costs N25,000
N25,000 for one person” I asked to be certain I heard well. Ojodu Junior High School is government owned, how come the entry form costs a fair fortune? How many indigents will be able to afford this? I thought.
“Hmmn. Those people I am processing for, they asked me to send their dates of birth. Right now, I am just sending them. It is JSS two.”
When I asked what time was deadline for sales of forms the next day, she said “If possible you can send the money today, it’s better and I’ll send it to them.” Then, she told me the entrance examination is for 27th of August. I told her the money would be sent same day before nightfall. And she requested we head for her office so she could capture the details of the set of twin.
At her office, she phoned her contact who works at the Lagos state ministry of education. The contact agreed I should send the money. “This JSS two’s trouble is becoming too much. Before I’ll know it, they will phone again that they need another thing,” she lamented to herself aloud. Then, gave me a sheet of paper to write the full names of the twin, their dates of birth, home address and my phone number.
She asked if I had LASRA. I didn’t know what that was. “Do you have tax clearance?” I immediately tell her yes, but it is for Delta. “Since you have that, you will do LASRA,” she continued. Wow! Does it take all these for a child to gain admission into Lagos government owned schools? I imagined.
She scribbled her bank details on a sheet of paper and handed it to me. That is where the money was to be lodged. It read:
THANNI-OLODO, ASISAT FOLABOMI,
WEMA (BANK) 0223713901
“They are going to write exam o. Please, tell them to read their book.” It sounded like a tell-them-not-to-waste-your-money alert.
“Please o, the form is closing tomorrow, except you want them to be in JSS one. Assuming you came around that last week, it was N20,000. It’s because this is late. After tonight, I won’t collect any money from anybody because the form will be closing by 12 noon tomorrow,” she added while I was writing details of the children on the sheet of paper offered me.
“Lest I forget, hope this would not be any problem at all. As in, the health status of the children.”
“Are they SS (sickle-cell anaemia)?”
“No. They are HIV positive.”
She asked “HIV positive?” as if trying to make sense of it.
‘Yes, they have HIV.”
Silence. Then she continued, “that means you won’t disclose it to anybody.” She phoned her contact at the ministry of education again. “They are human beings, it is not their fault,” she said, as she dialed the phone number.
“Ma, the children who just want to come are HIV positive, what should we do?” From the position I was sitting, I could hear the woman at the other end though Mrs. Olodo’s phone number was not on speaker. The contact sounded surprised. “Iro o!”she said no, it can’t be true, in Yoruba language and Mrs. Olodo repeated the question.
“No! No! No…! Don’t accept them,” the contact answered and burst into a witch-like uncontrolled laughter.
Mrs. Olodo sighed and ended the call. “She said no.”
“Is it against the school’s policy or what?”
“I don’t know, although she is not the principal of the school. But she is in charge of admission over there.”
“At the (Lagos state) ministry of education?”
“Hmmmn.”
“So, even if the principal says yes, they over there are the ones to take the decision?”
“It is because I informed her. Is it glaring seeing them?”
“No o. They are on medication. They are taking the antiretroviral so it’s not glaring.
“I hope they don’t have dos and don’ts that will affect them?”
“They don’t have those.”
“Maybe they have the environment or the type of people they need to move with?”
“Haaa. No, no, no o, they don’t have dos and don’ts. Nothing of such.” Then she tried phoning someone else at the Lagos education ministry.
“Maybe I will not inform this person about their health status. I won’t inform her.”
“If they know, they will say no?”
“Yes. I won’t inform her. So, you people will pretend as if you just discovered. They (the kids) are human beings, they need to live normal lives now. Like my first son, I am AS and my husband is also AS. My first son is SS. They are human beings, since God gave him to me, I need to take care of him. But if you see him, it is showing because I did not discover on time.” The alternative she wanted to reach out to wasn’t answering her calls. Mrs. Olodo tried calling the initial contact. She answered.
“They said they (the twin) are on medication.” Then, she ran out of call-card and we had to continue the call with my own phone.
“What is the number Ma?”
“07088653088.” I repeated the numbers after her, then dialed.
“Ma, I am the one Thanni. They said they are on medication, what should I do?”
“Don’t accept them at all.”
“Okay, I have heard.”
“I said don’t accept them, the stress that would come with it will be too much.”
“In what way will it (the stress) be much, Ma?”
“They would be following me everywhere. It would have where they would follow me to. These children that are not well.
“Okay. I have heard Ma.” She ended the call and turned to me. “She insisted that no. Let me call another person.”
“Is it against their policy?”
“No, it is not against their policy. She is the one that sees it as something big. I made a mistake.”
The alternate person at the Lagos education ministry phoned and Mrs. Olodo answered immediately, saying “there are some persons who want to come into JSS two, but they said the children are HIV positive.” The alternative obviously didn’t allow her to finish the sentence. “You don’t want? Hmmmmnnn. Okay. I have heard. Okay.”
Mrs. Olodo turned to me with pity written all over her. “I will call you.”
“Oh. She too did not agree?”
“Hmmmnn. I will find someone else to call.”
While on my way out, she called me back. “Please, don’t tell people about their health status so that they will not see them as outcasts. You know Nigerian belief. Even my son that is SS, if you see the way they treat him, whenever they are doing something in the school, they do isolate him. Let’s say they want to do end of year party, you know all those activities like singing. I don’t understand Nigerian mentality. And the boy do feel bad. To be sincere to myself, last party they did, I didn’t pay. I have three kids there and I didn’t pay for party…”
“Because they will not allow him do anything?” I interjected.
“Of course, and the boy do feel bad,” her voice was full of emotion.
“Oh my God. How old is the boy if I may ask?” I couldn’t mask the pain too.
“Nine years old. Even when he was in Command (primary school), the same thing. When others are going for sport, they will keep him indoor, he will be the only one in the class.”
“Haa. Na wa o. But these two children, they don’t look it at all. They don’t look sickly at all.”
“I don’t know Nigerian mentality, they will see those kids as outcasts. I don’t know. Most of the time I do feel bad when my son is complaining. Honestly, I do feel bad.”
Pains took over her pretty dark face as she lamented the maltreatment of kids by adults over health conditions the children never chose. She was almost two decibels away from tears.
LAGOS STATE NOT AGAINST CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV
Mr. Adesegun Ogundeji, Public Relations Officer to the Lagos state ministry of education, Saturday August 11th, distanced the ministry from all actions by Mrs. Folabomi, Mr. Adeniji and the education officers.
He said the Lagos state government does not discriminate against anyone for whatever reason, rather, assists such persons get medical attention. The PRO emphasized that medical reports are never requested to admit children into Lagos state owned schools and stressed that the change of transfer forms cost N5,000 not N25,000.
Shocked that N25,000 was already being collected by Mrs. Folabomi and others in the admission-ring, Mr. Ogundeji said “The ministry has no hand in that. It is criminal. N25,000 for what? We must get to the root of this matter. I want to know those education officers doing that kind of a thing.
“I want to know when they became medical officers that determine who gets what on medical grounds. And I want to know who sent them to sell forms for N25,000.”
Mr. Ogundeji called on everyone to help make Lagos a better state.
AUGUST 13TH, 2018
Exactly 10am, I was at the Lagos state ministry of education while Mr. Ogundeji; Mrs. Folashade Lediju, director administration and human resources of the ministry, as well as Mr. Biodun Oni, director of financial services, listened to recordings of all my transactions with Mrs. Folabomi, the education officer and Mr. Adeniji. The Lagos state ministry of education same day commenced on-the-field-pick-ups and investigations into the fraudulent activities and discriminatory acts. Mr. Ogundeji promised to disclose details of the outcome of the investigations to me.
SHOULD A CHILD’S HIV STATUS BE DISCLOSED?
Prof. Bem Angwe, a professor of law and former Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of Human Rights Commission, said it is necessary for parents to disclose the HIV status of children to school authorities.
“The important thing is to ensure that that act of discrimination be stopped. We must end all forms of discrimination on grounds of health or ill health. It is really not right for you to just conceal the status of the child because you want the child to gain admission or because the child may not be given admission if the status is disclosed.
“I don’t think it is proper, because disclosing it will even help prevent that disease from spreading. I think it is a social issue where massive campaign needs to be launched and then, people need to be told there is no point discriminating, or isolating or stigmatizing people or children with HIV. I don’t think it is right to start concealing the status of one’s children,” he said.
Nigeria’s health minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole said it is not necessary for parents to disclose the HIV status of children to school authorities. He however emphasized “And if they disclose by any chance, it is expected confidentiality is observed.”
WE DON’T WANT HIV POSITIVE CHILDREN AROUND!
In interviews conducted in different parts of Lagos state, parents said they will withdraw their children from school should any of their classmates test positive to HIV. Even children, teenagers and young adults did not welcome the idea of sharing personal spaces with anyone living with the virus.
Miss Stella Ezike, a 13 year-old JSS two student said should any of her classmates or friends test positive to HIV, she wouldn’t share personal items like razor blades, sharpeners, hair combs and spoons with the infected person.
Though ready to be friends with the affected one, she said the friendship would however be well defined since she would be afraid and doesn’t want to contract the virus. She wouldn’t even share clothes with anyone living with the virus for fear of contracting the virus through the person’s sweat.
Mrs. Bukola Bolaji, a nurse, said should her child’s classmate test positive to HIV, she would withdraw her from the school to prevent chances of her own child “contracting disease.”
Even if her child were already in junior secondary school, she insisted she would still withdraw the child from the school because of the virus. Mrs. Bolaji fears her child may contract the virus from the classmate while they are playing.
Olayinka Sekoni, a fashion designer said she would first see the owner of the school to inquire if the affected child would be withdrawn from the school or not. If the child would remain, she wouldn’t allow her own child to “contract that deadly disease.”
She said if the child is not withdrawn from the school, she will take hers away in order to save her life. She fears kids could be very playful and in the process injure themselves and should her child touch the blood of the infected child, she will automatically contract it. “I don’t have any explanations for the father. When I am not infected, why should my child contract it?” she retorted.
Mrs. Ayo Lawal, a trader, said she wouldn’t withdraw her child from the school, neither will she tell her child to run away from such a person. But she emphasized that wisdom will be applied since “It is wisdom the elderly use in avoiding cows. So, we will be using idea.
“If before they used to eat together when the classmate’s status was unknown, now, we will be very careful by ensuring his/her personal items are not used, but we won’t run away from such one.”
Miss Olamide Timothy, an undergraduate admitted that though people living with HIV should not be avoided, she however can’t even sit with such persons for fear of contracting the virus through their sweat.
She is willing to eat with persons living with the virus but can’t share cutlerries with them. She wouldn’t share clothes with anyone who tests positive to HIV. She is afraid she could contract the virus through the person’s clothes.
WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DE-STIGMATIZE HIV!
Nigeria’s health minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole in an interview Saturday August 11th, expressed concern over the findings in this investigation. He said “What you just told me, if confirmed, shows we still have a lot of work to do in order to de-stigmatize HIV.
“My day will be a day when we will treat HIV just like how we treat hypertension and diabetes. With the treatment we currently have, HIV has become any of those chronic disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled.”
He said the parents and school authorities’ discriminatory acts is a reflection of the amount of work yet to be done by the country. He disclosed that the health ministry is decentralizing HIV management in Nigeria, thus, has granted Lagos her own treatment programme. He further disclosed that the ministry is moving next to Imo, Oyo and Kaduna states respectively.
“The ministry is currently conducting the largest HIV indicator survey (globally) to determine the exact prevalence of HIV in Nigeria in order to calibrate our work and determine what we are doing.”
The health minister called on all Nigerians to join the movement in eradicating HIV stigmatization in the country. He said people’s discriminatory actions (those in this story and others) is as a result of stark ignorance about how HIV is transmitted.
“It’s not just schools. It’s a situation in which all of us must be involved in education, improving awareness, eliminating ignorance and letting them know HIV is not even like TB where someone is coughing and you pick it. It’s not like pneumonia, it’s not like flu.
“This is good work (referring to this story). And I will pass this message to the team that we have serious work to do. And I will also work with my education colleague (minister of education).”
Editor’s Note: The interview, photograph, audio-visual of the child in the story, are used with parental consent.
This story was produced with support from Code For Africa through her Naija Data Ladies Fellowship Programme.
Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/how-nigeria-kills-children-living-with-hiv-part-1/
