Nothing glamorous about being HIV-infected

This letter was sent to ST Forum but was not published.

It is courageous of Mr Ajmal Khan (AJ), aged 26, to go public with his HIV status in a bid to dispel myths and stereotypes ('HIV made me appreciate my life and family a lot more', says gay Singaporean'; 3 July).

Yet it is a sobering fact that he is one of the 7,140 residents in Singapore with HIV infection as of end 2015, of which 1,816 had died.  Despite much public education on HIV/Aids prevention, there were 232 new HIV cases among homosexuals last year, a 27.5 per cent increase from 2014 as compared to 139 in 2009. 

Many like AJ, have this invincibility mindset that they will not be HIV infected despite engaging in such high-risk sexual behaviour. 

  

According to the update by Ministry of Health (MOH), sexual intercourse is the main mode of transmission, of which 51% is from homosexual transmission and 8% from bisexual transmission. 93% were male.

What kind of targeted outreach efforts towards youth are Action for Aids and Oogachaga calling for? Use a condom when it is a fact that it may be more likely to break during anal intercourse because of the greater amount of friction and other stresses involved?  

Even if the condom doesn't break, anal intercourse is very risky because it can cause tissue in the rectum to tear and bleed. These tears allow disease germs to pass more easily from one partner to another. The overabundance of 'safer' sex messages also lead to decreased condom use, not uncommon with an invincibility mindset. 

Eventually, it is not the use of condoms that will stop HIV infection. It is stopping risky, unnatural sexual behaviour that will prevent an epidemic. 

AJ and his mother were featured recently in Pink Dot's promotion videos. The video showed his mother's great despair upon knowing her son's condition. 

She acknowledged that there is no cure for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 

HIV infection not only required one to be on long-term medication but also takes a toll on the patient's family and on the society. Every parent should love his child but not accept any behaviour that is destructive. Love has a moral compass.  

While we should be compassionate to anyone who contracts a disease, the general public should not be made to pay for the 97% of HIV infection cases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse. 

The message has to be clear that there is nothing glamorous about being infected with HIV. 

Certain stigmas are good, in that they inform us what behaviour is desirable or acceptable in a society.   

Working on the root cause of HIV infection is the way to stop new cases from increasing.