HEALTH Minister John Junor says the government is contemplating legislation that will not only protect persons with HIV/AIDS from stigma and discrimination, but also persons with other forms of ailments.

“What we want to do is normalise the condition and not single out discrimination against HIV/AIDS when there are other forms of discrimination among other health conditions,” Junor told the Observer yesterday.

However, the minister said the legislation would be taken to Parliament after the Bill of Rights is amended, which would broaden the rights of an individual or group.

At the same time, Prime Minister P J Patterson said yesterday that his Government remained committed to sensitising the public about HIV/AIDS. “The Government remains committed to increasing public awareness about this disease and in identifying affordable drugs and providing the delivery of health care to persons affected by HIV/AIDS,” Patterson said.

“Through the National HIV/STI programme the Government and donors have spent approximately $346 million to address the problem of HIV/AIDS, including the implementation of public education and awareness programmes to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and treating patients affected by the disease,” said the prime minister.

Jamaica joins several other countries around the world today in marking World AIDS Day, even as the island continues to grapple with an increase in the number of cases being reported.

Last year 1,070 AIDS cases were reported (611 males and 459 females), while up to the end of June this year there were 578 cases (334 males and 244 females).

Of the 989 cases in 2002, 580 were males and 409 females.

A total of 8,097 AIDS cases have been recorded in Jamaica between 1982 and 2003. Of that number, 5,062 (3,066 males and 1,996 females) have died.

Under the theme “Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS”, World AIDS Day this year focuses on the increasing number of women and girls contracting the deadly disease.

According to Dr Peter Figueroa, senior medical officer at the Ministry of Health, the rate of new HIV infection in women in the age group 20-24 has been increasing steadily more than in men in the same age group. One of the reasons, he said, was that younger women were having sex with older men.

Jamaica, Figueroa said, has made some progress in terms of eliminating the stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS. However, he said that there was much more work to be done.

“Most persons, when they get AIDS, they don’t want to tell anybody, but when they do tell close family members it takes a burden off their shoulders and they usually get additional support and attention from these family members and friends,” he said. “That has been a very positive development.”

But he said persons who are stigmatised often feel guilty or ashamed. “It reduces their self-esteem and it depresses them and it means that often they don’t want to seek services because they are afraid to come forward and it makes life very difficult for them.”

Dr Figueroa said there have been a number of initiatives by the health ministry to reduce stigma and discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS, including the training and re-training of health officials in relation to the management of the disease.

In addition, he said the mass media campaign where media personalities have been used to sensitise the public about HIV/AIDS has brought positive results.

“That campaign, in fact, was to try and use national personalities to get people to understand that we have to be inclusive and not reject persons with HIV/AIDS as well as to be supportive, compassionate and caring towards them,” Dr Figueroa said.

Today’s World AIDS Day activities include a women’s march, an exhibition, as well as a concert at Emancipation Park in New Kingston.

davidsont@jamaicaobserver.com