Diabetes and HIV: A comparative psycho social analysis.

[Guest guest]

What is need for correlating diabetes with HIV?

No doubt, they do not have any connection in origin, developement and treatment etc. Diabetes is mainly because of the failure of an organ PANCREAS whereas HIV is transmitted directly through blood. The former is an age old phenomenon whereas the later is of recent origin. A diabetic patient will not be condemned by the society and in fact it is treated as a status symbol by the affluent whereas people are afraid to reveal their identity when they are infected with HIV. More than all these, society is not condemning a diabetic whereas an HIV infected person is rejected and kept out of society.

That is here, a psycho-social approach to both the problems need a similarity in attention.

Though both of them are hereditary in Nature they can be contained to a greater extent by various treatments. They are not infectious just because of physical nearness. When a husband is not transmitting diabetes to his wife even due to sexual contact, he can avoid transmitting HIV also by using condoms.

The greatest similarity between both these is that, like people with diabetes live longer by proper medication, healthy food, living in good atmosphere, the same thing can be done for a HIV infected person also. Days are not far away, when a HIV infected person will live so long as a diabetic, provided he gets the above physical comforts.

What is needed more is CHANGE in the approach of the society to HIV affected men, women and children. When a diabetic is treated with utmost affection and care, one should have a soul searching to find out whether a HIV affected person receives such a treatment. Look at our films, stories and news reports. A diabetic will be treated with utmost affection by a daughter or daughter in law till the doctor says that he would die any time. But where is such an affection for a HIV affected person?

That is here where our writers, publishers and film makers can give a thought

Dr Bhimarao. Sathyanarayanan

President, SAGODHAR.

E-mail: sagodhar@...