Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Cuba: "All for one, and One for all"

It is true that people should not be victims of discrimination because of their illneses. It is also true that, as a community, we have to look out for each other in order to advance as a whole society. Cuba had a good idea about isolating those who were HIV positive, especially because they virus, at the time, was not fully understood. When the first HIV cases were known, people had no idea how it could be transmitted. Unfortunately, decades later, there are millions of people do not understand how HIV can be transmitted from one individual to another. People who do have HIV are victims of discrimination around the world. Although it is illega, there are thousands of individuals who get fired from their jobs because of their HIV status. Also, these people have a difficult time finding life partners because people fear contracting HIV. Whenever people find out someone is HIV positive, they treat them with fear and alienation. People who have HIV already leave in some kind of alienation, looking for other people who can share their life stories and experiences. Wouldn't it be better, to live in a community where you would not be a victim of discrimination, and people around you understood your hadrships? If everyone in the world knew exactly how HIV is transmitted and if HIV-positive people were careful enough to not spread HIV then we would have a different story.

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