Imphal, November 30: The World AIDS Day is being observed all over the world on December 1 every year since 1997 along with launching campaign under various slogans and themes.

Preparations have already been made for observing this year's World AIDS day under the theme of 'Stop AIDS.

Keep the Promise' with 'Leadership' as the sub-theme.

In this tiny State of Manipur which has a population of about 23 lakhs, the total number of people who have been affected/infected with HIV has reached 27,961 (according to the Epidemiological Report released by Manipur State AIDS Control Society in October this year).

Out of this, 7,106 are female while the total number of AIDS patients is 4,154.The ongoing global fight against HIV/AIDS calls for taking up the responsibility and keeping the promise of preventing spread of the virus from one affected person to another or from getting infected/affected on the part of each and every individuals in the family, in the society and in the community at large.

In order words, this year's theme 'Stop AIDS.

Keep the promise Leadership' calls for encouraging the patients themselves to lead the ongoing global fight against the epidemic.

Work, innovation and vision are the qualities that would differentiate an ordinary man or woman from the leader.

In Manipur, we have many people living with HIV who have taken up the responsibility of preventing spread of the disease along with a promise.

35-year old Thoibi comes from a family in Wangjing Lamding Khumanthem Leikai under Thoubal district.

Her husband was HIV positive and died from HIV-Hepatitis C co-infection in January 1999 leaving behind their two daughters, the eldest being 12 years old and the second just 10 years old now.

Subsequently, Thoibi also came to know about her HIV status.

Luckily, both her daughters have tested HIV negative.

At present, Thoibi is working as a representative of the PLWHA in Thoubal District AIDS Committee.

She is also the general secretary of Manipur Network of Positive People, Thoubal District apart from being a counsellor of ACT Project.

Thoibi said that the problem of social stigma and discrimination against the people living with HIV/AIDS is more serious than the stigma and discrimination attached to themselves by the people living with HIV/AIDS.

The social stigma and discrimination would go away automatically once the patients themselves stop discriminating themselves.

'Instead of just crying hoarse for their universal rights, it would be better for the PLWHAs to participate and contribute their mite in the issues of the society and the State.

This would ensure a permanent place for all of us in the society', Thoibi said.

Recounting about the ordeal she had gone through after the death of her husband from HIV/AIDS, Thoibi said 'after the death of my husband every one in the locality avoided me and started looking down on me and my children'.

Apart from not touching the things she had handled, they even sprinkled water on the floor where she had walked and stood.

'That was the most difficult period of the life that I had spend along with my children', Thoibi recounted.

Living in that hostile environment, Thoibi did not dare to go and undergo testing for HIV on herself as well as on her two daughters for two long years after the death of her husband.

One day in December of 2002, she was pricked by a thorn and no body came forward to help her in removing it.

After that incident, she took a firm resolution and came to RIMS Hospital for undergoing test for HIV.

Her worse fear came true and the test result confirmed her HIV positive status.

At that time there was no one to console her.

Instead when she started mixing around with other patients like herself to continue their struggle for existence, the same people who have neglected her started casting aspersion on her character.

However, instead of brooding over such things, it gave new courage and strength to Thoibi to carry on the fight for survival not just for herself but also for many others like her in the society.

Today, her work in the field of prevention of HIV/AIDS as well as for the welfare of the patients already infected/affected is being recognised by all the people in Thoubal district and afar and she is known to everyone, young and old alike as Iche Thoibi.

In the recent Panchayat election, Iche Thoibi contested in the election for the Gram Panchayat member, though she was defeated by 14 votes by her nearest rival is altogether another story.

On the significance of this year's theme of World AIDS Day, everyone's Iche Radharani, who is in charge of HIV of JN Hospital, explained that the theme of leadership means that every person who has been living with HIV/AIDS should take up the initiative and lead in fighting against spread of HIV/AIDS in their own family, in the society and the community at large.

Iche Radharani, who has been tirelessly working in the field of HIV and conducted various training programmes for the nurses during her last 17 years in service, informed that during the course of a survey and blood testing conducted for HIV in 1986, her own husband was found to be HIV positive.

After knowing th HIV status of her husband, doctors and the nurses who have been working along with her in the hospital started discriminating her even to the extent of neglecting her while giving birth to her child in the hospital in 1992.'After several round of testings, fortunately, I was found to be HIV negative, yet some people have misapprehension', Iche Radharani said.

Bobo, a former drug addicts and now HIV positive patient, who has been judiciously maintaining CD4 count above 600 so that he does not need to take up ART treatment, yet carrying on his mission of spreading awareness on the harmful effect of drug abuse and its implication among the people in remote interior parts of the State, said that people living with HIV should not look down upon themselves and stand up and join hands with the rest of the society in fighting against the ills afflicting the society today.

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