Winston
Churchill once said: "If you have knowledge, let
others light their candles with it." Today, these
words are particularly relevant in the context of HIV/AIDS,
where knowledge is power. Knowledge has the ability
to diffuse panic, empower those infected or affected
by HIV/AIDS and even to save lives.
We at HIVAN have built a website which, we hope, will
light a few candles amongst our users. Whether it's
networking you're after, or funding information or news
- we hope to be able to help you increase your knowledge.
We would also like to offer our Discussion Boards as
another tool with which you can share your own wisdom
and experiences.
You can discuss and debate HIV/AIDS-related news and
current affairs, share your insights and experience
of working in the HIV/AIDS field, talk about care and
treatment, or what it's like to live with HIV/AIDS.
If you're in the science field, you can even contribute
your expertise in the Research category, or pose a question
that an expert out there can answer.
At first glance, the Discussion Boards may seem complex
and intimidating to navigate. But, with a little trial
and error (and some handy hints) we hope you'll find
it useful and user-friendly - and, most importantly
- something you visit every day!
For the most part, you can either access the Discussion
Boards anonymously or as a registered user. The only
exception is the Research area - for which you need
to be registered to post messages. The logic behind
this is that we want you to be able to validate and
verify sources of information.
All other aspects of the site do not require you to
be registered. You simply click on Post a Reply ,
or New Topic
and you're "A" for away!
However, there are advantages to being a registered
user; for example, you can opt to be e-mailed when another
registered user replies to your post, you can opt to
receive e-mails from others, display your website address
where applicable and much more!
Although our website has only been "live"
for a short while, there are already a number of interesting
topics on the Discussion Boards.
Here
is a selection of what has already been posted:
KwaZulu-Natal is "…very interested
in the issue of virginity testing in SA, and particularly
in KZN, and would like to hear other peoples viewpoints
on this practise. I am personally against virginity
testing - as I feel there are far too many inconsistencies/
no scientific basis for declaring participants virgins
or not. What do others think?"
Falethu speaks of caring: "Most
of us think of care as nursing the relative who is already
on his deathbed, but it's more than that. It begins
with the acceptance of my friend or sister and allowing
them to live a normal life after diagnosis. It is such
care that will remove the fear of testing and revealing
one's status. The anger and denial that causes some
to deliberately infect others can also be cut short
if we care. We need to start by adopting the right attitude
so that our friends may know who to run to when they
need that care."
Hitesh wants some information: "I
would like to get information on the HIVNET 012 - Phase
1 Nevirapine - Site in Uganda. My curiosity stems from
the hype made about the drug a few weeks ago over its
toxicity/poor QA and QC? I also understand that FHI
was audited (FDA audit) preceding this? Any news about
this?"
Gill is concerned in lack of collaboration
on the research side: "There is a huge effort (both
in time and money) being done to find a vaccine for
the virus. But how well co-ordinated are these efforts.
Are researchers more interested in being the first,
have they lost the main purpose for the quest?"
Pat
Hlongwane speaks of disclosure and acceptance
- in a moving account detailing his own experiences:
"Anyone who has ever received an HIV positive diagnosis
faces difficult decisions about telling people about
their HIV status. It can take time to come to terms
with a positive HIV- diagnosis. Don't feel you have
to rush into coping or telling people. You may not tell
anyone at first and then find people you feel you can
trust. You may tell only the person closest to you.
Even if you have the urge to tell people right away,
it's a good idea to wait a bit and think about what
the consequences might be. Some HIV-positive people
are able to be completely open about their HIV status.
Others aren't. Whatever the case, in some situations
it is better to be cautious. Unfortunately for many
HIV-positive people, the choice of whether or not they
disclose their status is taken out of their hands. Any
involuntary disclosure is a breach of confidentiality.
Being HIV-positive is no reflection on your worth as
a human being.
HIV is a virus and nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately
there are still far too many ignorant and prejudiced
people in the world who judge other people for being
HIV +." (Extract)
We hope you will take the time to explore, read and
contribute to - the Discussion Boards. After all, as
James Madison said: "The advancement and diffusion
of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
The Discussion Board link can be
found on the righthand side of the front page of this
website, or click here
for a shortcut!
Click on the links below for past Editorials/
Guest Editorials
Winston
Churchill once said: "If you have knowledge, let
others light their candles with it." Today, these
words are particularly relevant in the context of HIV/AIDS,
where knowledge is power. Knowledge has the ability
to diffuse panic, empower those infected or affected
by HIV/AIDS and even to save lives.
,
or New Topic 
and you're "A" for away! 
Here
is a selection of what has already been posted:
Pat
Hlongwane speaks of disclosure and acceptance
- in a moving account detailing his own experiences:
"Anyone who has ever received an HIV positive diagnosis
faces difficult decisions about telling people about
their HIV status. It can take time to come to terms
with a positive HIV- diagnosis. Don't feel you have
to rush into coping or telling people. You may not tell
anyone at first and then find people you feel you can
trust. You may tell only the person closest to you.
Even if you have the urge to tell people right away,
it's a good idea to wait a bit and think about what
the consequences might be. Some HIV-positive people
are able to be completely open about their HIV status.
Others aren't. Whatever the case, in some situations
it is better to be cautious. Unfortunately for many
HIV-positive people, the choice of whether or not they
disclose their status is taken out of their hands. Any
involuntary disclosure is a breach of confidentiality.
Being HIV-positive is no reflection on your worth as
a human being.