Re: Should we not fight against hoax HIV/AIDS emails ?

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Re:/message/10238

 

I fully agree with Dr. Jasvinder Sehgal and endorse his sound suggestions.I had 

made an identical request some time back about the cited hoax email when all the

details of the person purportedly sending the email were found to be fictitious.

 

These emails harden the wrong attitudes and perspectives towards the PLHIV and

hinder the concerted collective action for the containment of dual epidemics

-the HIV pandemic and the epidemic of SDD faced by the PLHIV.

 

Best wishes,

 

Dr.Rajesh Gopal.

e-mail: <dr_rajeshg@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re:/message/10238

Hoax stories about HIV/AIDS have been around since the 1980's. At one

point people had just become nearly hysterical, even people who should know

better.

I suppose it once again demonstrates that no matter where you are,

or what you do people are more alike than not. The US had the same lies as you

are having in India. There were other health hoaxes going around but I won't

mention them if they are currently silent.

I understand completely how it feels to see those oh so scary stories. You feel

as if you have had a bit of success and then you see one of those damned

letters. It is very difficult to track mass mailings when people willingly pass

them on. For some reason some sick people get their jollies from being negative

and spreading tales of doom and gloom.

A few pass them along thinking they are helping warn unsuspecting people of this

terrible threat! However, just as most emails proclaiming the end of the world

as we know it due to some horrid cyber virus they are lies.

I have done quite a bit of research on this subject and have had no luck at all

tracking the first original criminal. If you find people passing it along for

the reasons above there is no crime. I started seeing those stories as far back

as the mid to late 1980's.

Personally I have decided trying to establish the criminal(s) is a waste of my

time/resource. I have sent newsletters out showing the hoax emails in order to

bring some common sense into the situation, and hopefully dispel the fear and

mistrust of anything to do with HIV/AIDS.

I think all we can do is continue to confront lies and tell the truth, no matter

who might not be agreeable. That aspect of HIV never really ends, and it won't

until we find the cure.

Jeanne Hatfield

HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Council US

ravaids@...

1406 9615183

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Re:/message/10238

In connection to the mail below, please find an article which appeared in one of

the leading newspaper in Goa - Herald. Can anyone comment on the genuineness of

this story?

______________

*‘HIV Club’ spreading AIDS in Goa?*

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

‘HIV Club’ spreading AIDS in Goa?

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

PANJIM, MAY 16. An HIV-positive woman in Anand, Gujarat, who lost her husband to

AIDS, has come out with a spine-chilling tale that her husband was deliberately

passed on the virus by a woman with whom he had a casual sexual encounter while

he was vacationing in Goa. The mystery woman allegedly left behind a visiting

card which said: “Welcome to the HIV Club.”

According to a report in Ahmedabad edition of The Times of India, Darshana (name

changed), who was an innocent victim of the infection, says this shocking

incident was revealed to her by her husband on his death-bed after he was

diagnosed with AIDS three years ago.

“He confessed that he had gone for a vacation to Goa eight years ago and fell

prey to temptation when a woman proposed to spend the night with him,” she said.

When he woke up the next morning, Darshana said, the woman had vanished and left

a card by his bedside which said: “Welcome to the HIV Club.”

Her husband told her he did not know what HIV was and thought it was the name of

some club. Four years later when he started falling ill and was diagnosed with

AIDS, he realised the woman had deliberately infected him with HIV!

“One does not know, there might be a group operating that seeks sadistic

pleasure in luring people and infecting them with the

deadly virus. I am a hapless victim,” says Darshana. Her husband finally

succumbed to AIDS over a year ago.

Darshana has since joined a local network of positive people and has

committed herself to spreading awareness about the infection and how people,

especially youngsters, should be forewarned about having any unprotected

relationship.

Source:

http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=21804 & cid=2<http://www.oheraldo.in/pa\

gedetails.asp?nid=21804 & cid=2>

F. Borges

e-mail: <listserve@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum

As we know that the spreading the hoax mails are increasing day by day.

As a PLHIV, I want to appretiate Mr. Jasvinder for posting this mail & Mr.

for replying this posting. May be I can't start a Cyber investigation for

this. But as the hoax message asks to forward their message, I forwarded your

posting with all the facts to my address book. If all our forum members can do

the same I think we can defeat these hoax mails.

In Solidarity

K. SANTOSH KUMAR

State GIPA co-ordinator

INP+ Orissa

Plot no: 5, Ravindra Gardens

Soubhagya Nagar, SBI Colony

Bhubaneswar - 8

Orissa

e-mail: <kumarpositive@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Re:/message/10238

I went back through documentation related to hoax emails I have been

collecting over the years.

There are several types about HIV/AIDS

1) The same as mentioned earlier, that needles contaminated with HIV have been

placed where innocent victims will sit or stick themselves. There are also ones

dealing with being on the subway/elevated train/bus etc. and in the crowd

someone sticks you with a needle but you can't even know who did it, but you get

tested and have HIV.

2) " We had sex and I intentionally gave you HIV " . Sometimes there is an added

incentive that the HIV+ hates men or became infected from a male so they hate

all men. This one always had the female infecting the male and leaving a card or

message or in lipstick on a mirror

3) much the same as the first one except in crowd situations for holiday or

sporting events and even one that threatened there were government agents

spreading HIV to kill everyone in a specific group: gays, lesbians,PLWHA, gay

supporters, etc. etc.

I also have what I consider as evil as the the previously mentioned.

The " Dissident " garbage. I was able to track down two separate groups,

find all pertinent info. Name, address etc. Unfortunately every one I

spoke with told me their was nothing they could do.

The " dissidents " attempted to create an educated and scientific

profile that would make them seem possibly believable to people who

desperately wanted to hear that everything was going to be okay.

People kept coming to me wanting a stop put to it. Freedom of speech

was a big part of the issue. I maintain that it is a Privilege, not a

Right to send someone an email. It is private and belongs to the group

or individual and that harassment in the guise of free speech was

absurd.

When I began to receive death threats law enforcement told me

to stop what I was doing. Well that is not going to happen. One way to

spot the " dissident' emails is that they usually bear a great

resemblance to computer virus hoaxes.

They have things in bold type, capitalized and underlines - anything

to make it look even more scary and often a plot is mentioned that has

a certain medical group/government/people who want to get rid of gays

and lesbians deliberately creating HIV to eliminate entire groups of

people. These are often similar in structure to many of the computer

virus hoax.

Since there is more than one type of email I'm wondering if it might

be more helpful to include information about all HIV hoax emails by

listing a hot line (one already in existence), or a campaign against

any misinformation somehow or sending/posting the sort of list of

hoaxes.

I apologize for this being so lengthy but I wanted to share what

little information I have. I am willing to do whatever possible to

stop hoax emails even though I am in the US. I receive twenty or so

daily emails from India not only that but it is imperative that as

many people as possible active in such a task.

Jeanne Hatfield

HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention Council

ravaids@...

406.961.5183 US