The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Henria Stephens
1 July 2008
opinion
The HIV/Aids epidemic that has ravaged sub-Saharan Africa is an oft covered news item.
Journalists, academics, and medical professionals are just a few of the authorities on this subject.
Many articles and special reports discuss prevention, as well as the long term effects this disease will have on Tanzania.
Some articles highlight improved access to medication, while others denounce cultural practices that contribute to its spread.
I question whether or not this subject matter will be exhausted anytime soon, sadly I doubt it.
What was once a hushed away sickness has finally come to the forefront of the media, government policy, and Tanzanian society.
The 'scourge' now has a name, and champions in the fight against it, who come from all levels of civil society, and all walks of life.
Construction site signs also sport slogans about condom use while grandparents raising their grandchildren bear witness to the stark reality. In the end, no one has been left untouched.
It was with great sadness that a close friend of mine told me about the death of his co worker.
Lyle*, who I had met briefly, had been sick for quite a while and had stopped working.
After ups and downs with ups that were so high it was believed he had his sickness beaten, complications related to his illness finally took him.
HIV/Aids does not discriminate. Unlike other diseases this virus cares little for age, gender, race or social class.
In Tanzania, it is the leading cause of death amongst adults, and has resulted in an orphaned population of nearly 1 million children.
At a local health clinic, with insufficient cots and low staff morale, Lyle was made to endure immense physical discomfort in the presence of clinic staff, patients and visitors.
The staff were indifferent to his condition and did very little to ease his suffering.
Money seemed to be the only incentive to provide him with the most basic level of care, and one can only imagine what happens to those without the available means to influence caregivers.
More than a week after his final hospital admittance Lyle died.
His death brought dumfounded paralysis to his friends and family.
"What next?" Was the thought that no one dared to ask.
The hospital attendants who were unable to provide even the simplest of information and assistance during his stay were quick to ask that his body be removed.
I could write of the complete lack of efficiency regarding morgues and their mechanisms but I am certain that any Tanzanian who has had to bury a loved one knows what an awful ordeal it is, not only due to the unfortunate circumstances, but also for the complete lack of respect that the morgue attendants show for the deceased.
Two days after his death, it was time for Lyle to return home. We met his body at the morgue.
The pickup truck that took him from the hospital to the morgue was now decked out in flowers and full of Lyle's friend's - ready to accompany him to his family.
As we turned out of the hospital grounds, singing began, not mournful tunes, but rather songs of homecoming.
Through the streets of Kinondoni we drove, the procession went slowly, forcing passers by to acknowledge life, and death.
Their homecoming song did not abate, it grew stronger. I did not expect what came next.
As the pickup truck, cum hearse, slowly manoeuvred through the bustling backstreets, life paused.
Radios were shut off and children stopped playing.
Together we paused to respect and to recognize the life that once was.
I was shocked to read that a 2007 Aids Epidemic Update funded by UNAIDS found that activities that can protect against sexual transmission of HIV are declining in some sections of Tanzanian society.
Reduced condom use and multiple partners were the two leading causes for this reversal.
That is unbelievable! How many more deaths will it take? Have we been lulled into such a false sense of security that we ignore the most basic preventative measures?
Lyle was the sole provider for his family and a man in his prime when he died.
He left behind his young wife, parents, and siblings.
His friends and family must now deal with the consequences of a virus that destroys lives.
Let's look towards a future where prevention is really seen as better than cure, so that his death may prove not to have been in vain.
*Lyle is not his real name
Henria Stephens is a graduate of International Development currently residing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
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