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HIV-positive woman, HIV-negative baby father: How come?

Eve for Life

with Rosie Stone

Monday, May 03, 2010

Dear Eve,

My baby father did his HIV test today and it was negative. I am HIV-positive. How come?

Dear P,

I need more information from you to properly answer your question adequately. Let's assume that you and your partner have been together for the past year. Let's also assume that you did your test first and you were HIV-infected. You then asked your baby's father to do his test too.

His result was negative. You seem to take for granted that he should have tested positive also. This suggests that your condom use was either non-existent or sporadic. I strongly suggest that your partner and you now begin to use a condom as a matter of course: that is, all the time.

I do not know the circumstances under which your partner was tested. I don't know if his VCT [Voluntary Counselling and Testing] included a pre-test and was followed up by a post-test which includes counselling. In his post-test it should have included what his 'negative' results really meant. If he has been having unprotected sex, he could be in his 'window period'. It may take between six weeks and up to three months from first exposure to the virus for some persons to develop anti-bodies for the test to detect it.

The councillor should have told him that he needs to start using a condom, and take the test in three months time and again in six months.

It is quite possible that your partner could be really HIV-negative. There are some persons who get exposed to the virus and do not get infected. It is also possible that your partner might be lying to you. He might know he was infected before coming into the relationship and has refused to accept that he is infected. You have to be very careful how you handle this situation, if this turns out to be true.

It is also possible that you are the only person who is HIV-infected. This would mean that you contracted the virus from someone else than your present partner. It would be a good idea that both of you visit an adherence or a VCT councillor and sort it out together.

The redress system

Dear Eve,

I have family members who refuse to deal with me because I am HIV positive. They treat me real bad. How can the redress system help me?

Dear FM,

The redress system can help you if you are prepared to go through the process. You will have to decide if discriminatory acts have been committed by your family members, and if an intervention by this body could help you resolve your issues with your family. I suspect that you want your family to be sensitised about the virus, the way it is transmitted, and that they do not have anything to fear from you when you interact with you socially.

Your family needs to know that stigma and discrimination are painful psychologically and could affect your health as you try to navigate this chronic illness that has the added challenge of stigma and discrimination.

The system is designed to collect complaints, investigate complaints and be a focal point for the redress of the complaints. Your redress might be your family members' behavioural change.

The organisation that you should contact is JN Plus -- the Jamaican Network of Seroposititives -- an organisation of persons living with HIV. This network provides support for persons living with and affected by HIV and advocates for the rights of persons living with and affected by HIV.

They can be contacted at www.jnplus.org or telephone 929-7340.

There is a form that you will have to fill out with your complaint. This is the first step; the collection of complaints. You will then be called in for a follow-up interview where more details of the incident or incidents will be gathered from you. You will also be able to express what you expect the outcome to be like. The third step will be done by a panel of persons designated to investigate your complaints. This is followed by the fourth step; the redress where sensitisation or any intervention will be made on your behalf. The final step is closure and you are free to close down the process at any time you choose.

I hope that this will work for you and that your family will help you by being a part of the process.

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HIV-positive woman, HIV-negative baby father: How come?