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     Current Research Journal of Social Sciences

    Abstract
2012(Vol.4, Issue:1)
Article Information:

Stigmatization of People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Sunyani Municipal Area, Ghana

D. Adei, K. Danso-Bio and S.K. Diko
Corresponding Author:  D. Adei 
Submitted: 2011 September, 21
Accepted: 2011 November, 15
Published: 2012 January, 25
Abstract:
It is generally known that People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLWHIV) have been subtly ejected from their homes, lost their jobs, and some have been denied the use of community amenities. Some have been verbally abused and clients have avoided patronage of their goods and services. The purpose of the study were to; assess the extent to which PLWHIV are stigmatized; the type of care and support given by relations, friends and other community members to infected persons; the effectiveness of the existing HIV/AIDS educational programmes in addressing the dangers of stigmatization of HIV/AIDS infected persons in the Sunyani Municipality and make recommendation to inform policy. Two hundred heads of households were selected through the Cluster sampling procedure and snowball technique was adopted to select 13 PLWHIV and five known relations, since the study is a sensitive one. Primary data were also obtained from the Municipal Health Directorate, the Municipal Assembly, five Municipal health personnel, three NGOs as well as two religious bodies. The study revealed that stigma is deeply-rooted in the Municipality as 58% heads of households interviewed were not willing to disclose their HIV status if tested positive. The 39% of PLWHIV who had disclosed their HIV status to a sibling, a parent, a grandparent, a spouse and children were happy about the kind of support; financial, companionship and pieces of advice they receive from them. The educational campaign addressing stigma and its attendant spread of the disease in the study area is woefully inadequate. Therefore the paper advocates for more interventions of educational campaigns to raise awareness on the issue of stigmatization of PLWHIV.

Key words:  Care and support, HIV/AIDS educational programmes, PLWHIV, stigma, , ,
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Cite this Reference:
D. Adei, K. Danso-Bio and S.K. Diko, . Stigmatization of People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Sunyani Municipal Area, Ghana. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, (1): 21-28.
ISSN (Online):  2041-3246
ISSN (Print):   2041-3238
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