Stigma Affects Pregnant Women with HIV
Obie Editorial Team
Women Most Heavily Affected by Stigma
Researchers have reported women in Nyanza were often abused and treated with great negativity after being diagnosed with HIV. The stigma and negativity surrounding the disease forces many women away from hospitals when it comes time to give birth. The women do not receive prenatal care and are often without the HIV medications needed to control the virus. Medications given before, during and after birth can reduce the chance of passing the virus onto an infant nearly 100%. But, if women are not receiving medications or medical care because they are scared, infants are much more likely to contract the virus.
Researchers and medical experts strongly agree that stigma training and education needs to be an important part of the next step in the fight against HIV. HIV is a controllable virus and the average lifespan of a person with HIV has lengthened exponentially since the 1980s. Prenatal treatment is not only important for the overall health of mom and baby, it is crucial to stopping the spread of HIV to the infant. If stigmas are stopping women from receiving the care and treatment they need, those stigmas need to be expelled and proper education used to convince women they will get good prenatal care without the judgment.