Bangarmau: Living under the shadow of an HIV scare
Weddings have been called off after 76 persons tested positive this week.
Bangarmau (Unnao): In Bangarmau, about 88 kilometres from Lucknow, barbers have been jobless since the past three days because the locals are unwilling to take a haircut or get a shave.
Two weddings, scheduled for this week, have also been called off. An HIV scare that unfolded earlier this week after 76 persons tested HIV positive (initially 40 were found to be HIV positive) has grown in the villages.
The families of those who have tested HIV positive are, expectedly, living under the shadow of death.
Ramesh Rajbhar, whose father and brother are among the ‘victims’, said, “I do not know what treatment is to be given to them and also whether I will be able to afford it. No one from the government has told us anything.”
Devendra, whose father is among those who have tested HIV positive, said, “At least one or two persons in every family have been treated at some point by ‘doctor sahib’ (the quack who used the same syringe on multiple patients and is said to be responsible for the spread of HIV). No one knows how many are infected. People are living in fear and some are even shying away from undergoing tests.”
Kaushal, whose sister’s wedding has been called off, explained, “People are scared and do not want to marry into any family here because of the HIV scare. I even offered to get my sister tested but the groom refused and cancelled the marriage.”
Several families living in Patel Nagar have stopped sending their children to school because they fear that they may get ‘infected’. They refuse to believe that HIV is not a contagious disease.
Shitla Devi, 68, said, “My grandchildren will not go to school. They can remain uneducated but I will not risk their lives.”
She has also ‘ordered’ her three sons not to shave or get their hair cut at the local barbershops. Her eldest son, Ravi, said, “No one is giving us correct information about HIV here. There are all kinds of rumours doing the rounds, and the people tend to believe everything they hear. Some have stopped eating fruit while others are keeping away from families whose members have tested positive”.