I write this letter with considerable nervousness as the views I am to express if misquoted or misunderstood will label me at least as uncaring, and at worst racist. I also write this in the week that one of my great heroes, the black civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King, made that immortal speech 40 years ago, “I have a Dream” (28 August 1963). In the spirit of that speech I too have a dream for more responsible government within the African continent.
I regret that I must support some restrictions on entry of people to the UK with HIV and TB. On the grounds that certain African leaders seem to be able to fund endless internal wars with huge expense budgets for weaponry and palaces, but have difficulty funding adequate healthcare for their own people living with Aids.
The time has come for the world community, and especially African countries, to realise that exporting their sick population to other countries for life long treatment is not an option.
As a strong opponent of Apartheid, I am at a loss at the silence of the white and black people against black governments in Africa who commit acts of gross inhumanity against their own citizens. It is not enough to ‘hope’ that African countries take more responsibility for their own; they should face pressure from all quarters to do so - from the UN to outside their embassies on the streets of London.
We should be more forceful in promoting cheaper drug treatment in Africa.
The Aids epidemic in Africa will not be solved by our non-critical silence
or acceptance of a minority of its sick population. We will prove to be better
friends of Africa by urging a more responsible attitude within that torn continent
than by letting those governments off the hook by freely accepting their sick
on our shores. Africans deserve our full support and respect - though initially
our restrictions may seem harsh, those restrictions combined with more vigorous
campaigning on their behalf is in the long term a more responsible method of
support to the HIV and Aids victims of Africa.
Kevin Greenan, London N17
I was particularly engaged this month by your new columnist Susan Cole. She writes in a clear, concise and very truthful style that I am sure speaks to many of us HIV positive gay men out there. I especially enjoyed her jab at not being enamoured of all gay men...how right she is! Some of the worst creatures I have ever met are of the ‘sorority’ also.
Sam Cotton’s article this month too also spoke to me in volumes. I know too many HIV positive people who, upon being diagnosed, drop out of life as though waiting for illness and, tragically, death to come upon them despite being otherwise healthy. These same people encouraged me to go down the benefits route which I resisted and still resist as I’m healthy, working and don’t need them.
So thank you for putting together a great read and also for assembling an
interesting cast of columnists whom I shall continue to look forward to reading
on a regular basis.
Jarod Smith, The Joshi Clinic, London W1
I am writing to congratulate you on ‘Baring Our Souls’ from the SEX issue of PN (PN89). Really, an excellent, honest glimpse into the thinking of men who choose to bareback and those who choose not to. I don’t know if the issue is as explosive in the UK as it is here in the US. But here, in the States, it is rare to read anything about this crucially important topic that isn’t fraught with castigation and defensiveness of one kind or another. What made your article refreshing and illuminating was that it wasn’t loaded with quite so much baggage and the two men interviewed owned up to their own motivations and biases so frankly and openly.
Reading this motivated me to write to you about an article idea I’ve been considering for some time. I have been working for years on trying to figure out why the gay men’s health movement and gay men in the HIV movement haven’t taken up microbicides more strongly as an advocacy issue. It seems to me as though it would be a ‘no-brainer’ (is that just an American colloquialism?).
I look forward to your opinion. Thanks for considering this and thanks again
for ‘Baring Our Souls’. Great job.
Anna Forbes, Global North Programs Coordinator, Global Campaign for Microbicides, US. Visit: www.global-campaign.org
I’m replying in response to a query posed by Allan Morris in his column in the May issue (PN90). It’s not clear which ARVs Allan takes and therefore I can’t comment on the storage and dose frequency, but just to remind him of a company called Medic Alarms, which PN featured some time ago, who offer a variety of alarms. Their range has increased since PN’s initial feature.
There is also another company called Porta Pills, who do a range of compliance products. Good ol’ Argos also does a variety of alarm watches, and ‘Baby G’ provides a range that alarm up to five times a day but unfortunately costs around £50 - this would however cover his three-times-a-day regime. Allan might find it useful to discuss these issues again with the healthcare workers at his clinic and stress the difficulties he has with adherence. I really hope he finds solutions to these problems; I am aware of how much stress adherence can cause.
Porta Pills details are: www.portapill.com or phone 0207 485 1089
Medic Alarm’s details are: www.medicalarm.co.uk or phone 01604 646200
Aisling Moorcroft, Adherence Support Nurse, Harrison
Wing, St. Thomas' Hospital
Thank you very kindly for the newsletter. It is really a wonderful source of information for sero-positive people. I want to describe your newsletter as ‘a container with a mighty content’. I also agree with you when you say that the “The way to stay well is to stay well informed”.
In Cameroon and most African countries we get people dying because of lack of information and because of ignorance. My strong plead now to you is to give an African touch to Positive Nation.
If you wish, I can feed you with news from Cameroon and other African Countries.As
I wait to read from you, let’s together see if we can make the masses
stay well by keeping them stay well-informed. Thanks.
Morfaw, Cameroon youth worker
