AIDS Council disheartened by Kedah MB's HIV 'spread through sin' remarks

 

The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) says it is disheartened by Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Mohd Nor's linking HIV to sinful activities.

The council said such remarks could further stigmatise those who were already infected or are vulnerable to HIV infection and even discourage them from seeking treatment.

"Stigma and discrimination towards HIV and other infectious diseases including Covid-19 are counter-productive and may discourage people who are at risk from seeking health services.

"We fear that the statement may also discourage HIV patients who may have been exposed to Covid-19 from disclosing their health status to healthcare providers.

"Covid-19 is extremely harmful to individuals with compromised immune systems," MAC said in a statement today.

Sanusi on Wednesday had said that unlike HIV patients, Covid-19 patients had not committed sins.

"The public now views those who are Covid-19 positive as sinful and worthy of condemnation, including the de facto religious affair minister. But they didn’t commit any sin. No one asked to be infected with Covid-19. They were infected while performing their duties.

"This isn’t HIV/Aids where the virus spreads through same-sex sexual intercourse which is forbidden and sinful (in Islam), or through injecting drugs, which is wrong by law and harmful to health.

“Yet after some time, HIV/AIDS patients, too, have organisations which support them and have campaigns like the 'Red Ribbon' to promote acceptance as if they did nothing wrong,” he said.

Sanusi had made his remarks in Bahasa Malaysia.

HIV/AIDS is transmitted through unprotected sex with someone infected (regardless of sexual orientation or gender), sharing drug equipment such as hypodermic needles with an infected person and from mother to child during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.

The MAC also said it has had a long-term working relationship with the Kedah government and wanted to strengthen that further. - Mkini