Positive Couples Paired for Marriage to Prevent Spread of HIV in Nigeria
A northern Nigerian state is encouraging couples living with HIV to get married in an effort to curb the virus from spreading, BBC News reports. The state, Bauchi, operates under Islamic laws that discourage condom use.
“Polygamy, as we have discovered, has become a potent source of spreading the HIV scourge in Nigeria,” said Dr. Lirwan Mohammed, executive secretary of the Bauchi Action Committee on AIDS. “Suitors who have tested positive and are willing to wed each other can reduce the spread of the virus and also cushion the psychological trauma of isolation.”
According to the article, about 70 couples have been matched up during the past few weeks. Couples are introduced to each other through counseling sessions and are free to say yes or no to each potential partner.
However, the state-run marriage initiative has drawn criticism from UNAIDS officials in Nigeria, who argue that it is still possible for positive couples to transmit different strains of HIV to one another if condoms are not used.
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Erick, Lexington, 2008-09-05 19:42:01
What abour reinfection rates?
Wouldn't this marriages create a super virus?
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
