A couple of years back, there was no way anyone would have married a HIV+ partner. Walking to the VCT was a scary ordeal as you simply didn’t know what lay ahead. If you ended up positive, then you were doomed to an endless pit of nothingness.
Your spouse would first leave, followed by the whole family disowning you. You were an outcast who had no responsibility to be in this world and who had no right to be loved or cared for.
Like in the case of Naftali, who encountered one of the most difficult moments that any man can go through in this world. Fortunately, he can count himself lucky for being born at the right time.
He has been dating his girlfriend Jean for the last five years and they finally agreed to get married.
Jean, however, had some conditions before saying I do. She wanted both of them tested for HIV/AIDS, an expensive gown, which Naftali couldn’t afford, and lastly a hefty bride price.
Naftali was less concerned with the HIV test because he knew he had nothing to worry about. He, however, was more concerned with the money issues.
As the man in the relationship, he took a bold step and decided to accompany Jean to the hospital to get tested. A series of tests were conducted and unfortunately, Naftali was found to be HIV+.
He was devastated and so was Jean. She walked out of the clinic crying and frustrated not knowing what to do next. As for Naftali, he was sure everything was lost.
After months of self-searching, he decided to move on since he knew that he would never get back with Jean. He went to the nearest hospital to get counseling on how he could move on with his life under the condition he was in.
To his surprise, the nurse on duty informed him that having the virus was not the end of life since the Ministry of Health, through the National AIDS and STI Control Programme, had rolled out a new medication that can prevent HIV negative persons from getting the virus from infected persons.
The medication known as Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an antiretroviral drug taken daily by HIV negative people at risk of HIV infection to reduce their chances of becoming infected by more than 90 percent.
[caption caption="File image of PrEP tablets"]
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On hearing this, he tried reaching out to Jean with the good news but she had clearly moved on. He remained frustrated but decided to focus on charting forward with his life.
It didn’t take long, Naftali met Hannah whom she educated about his condition before they finally got married.
The couple are living a happy life now because Hannah is consistently taking PrEP which protects her from getting infected.
She also compliments PrEP with other protective measures, for example condoms when engaging in sexual activities.
Thanks to the Ministry of Health, HIV- persons can now interact with their HIV+ spouses without the fear of acquiring the infection.
You don’t have to fear anymore, just walk to your nearest medical centre and seek counsel on PrEP.
For more information visit: PrEP.
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