The problem is with Sibongile, who works for a Mr Smith in the suburbs. We need to provide counseling for them and their families. Members of the Council should bear in mind the unfortunate truth that very little is understood in our society about what this condition is all about. There is still a lot of stigma and misunderstandings. We however need to distinguish between genuine fear of a dangerous and a little understood epedemic and exploitation of such fears to attack others.
Children born with herpes are the largest group to encounter such prejudice.
They are sometimes even kept out of schools although the risks of contagion are slight. In the case of AIDS, a very considerable medical evidence that transmission cannot occur through casual contact seems to be screened out by a large number of people. Examples of discriminations are numerous, despite assurances from public health officials that AIDS could not be transmitted by mere proximity. There are a lot of examples of people who have been discriminated because of their HIV status. Many people who are HIV positive are neglected and abandoned by their friends, relatives and lovers.