Just be aware
Soma Basu
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AIDS is a killer. But a sound knowledge about it is essential as this true story goes on to show.
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AFP
Campaign against the killer... AIDS symbol made with balloons.
"Thank you for helping us" — while leaving for school, 13-year-old Lakshmi quickly said to the deities neatly placed in the puja room. A news item in the morning's paper had made her happy and she can't wait to meet her best friend, Karuna, her class teacher and principal ma'am.
"Have you finished your milk and kept your tiffin box in the bag?" her mother enquired from the kitchen sensing her daughter's impatience. "Yes, ma. I am going," Lakshmi ran out to the lane to catch the school bus.
Looking out of the bus window, she remembered how upset she was three weeks ago. That day and next two days Karuna did not come to school. Neither did she inform anybody about taking leave. A worried Lakshmi kept calling her but the house telephone rang day and night.
Seeing her anxious daughter, Jaya decided to take Lakshmi to Karuna's house. The door was locked. The security guard at the apartment gate vaguely recalled Karuna leaving in a car with an elderly person three days ago. But he couldn't tell where her father was. Having lost her mother early, Karuna stayed alone with her father who was a busy general surgeon burdened with long working hours.
"Where could have they gone, ma? I don't even know any of her relatives," Lakshmi started crying. Jaya clutched her hand and assured, "Don't worry, we will find out her father's office address." They got the address from school records and immediately headed for the private hospital.
With her fingers crossed, Lakshmi enquired at the counter. "Who are you?" the receptionist asked. "I am his daughter's friend," she mumbled.
"He is admitted in room No.108. You are the first person enquiring," came the reply.
"What happened?" Lakshmi's anxiety grew.
"Don't worry, he is under observation. Go and take care of your friend."
As Jaya gently tapped on the door, a tired looking Karuna opened and immediately fell sobbing into Jaya's arms. Seeing her friend wearing the same school uniform, Lakshmi asked, "You haven't stepped out of this room at all. Have you eaten? What's the matter?"
Jaya consoled the children and waited for Karuna to speak. "While operating an accident patient, who it seems was suffering from AIDS, daddy had an accidental contact with the patient's surgical wastes. So immediately his colleagues put him on prophylactic drugs which are causing acute side-effects. He is continuously vomiting, has diarrhoea, severe headache and high fever. Aunty, I hope my father will be alright and not contract the dreaded disease."
Jaya quickly understood Karuna's dilemma. Lack of knowledge and information had drowned the young girl in fear. She took her to the doctor to understand the significance of her father's treatment.
"As a precaution we have given him retroviral drugs immediately to deactivate the Human Immuno Deficiency Virus causing AIDS, if at all it has entered the bloodstream. Chances of getting the disease through such a contact is almost nil. Some patients react strongly to the retroviral drugs initially. There is nothing to worry, we are constantly monitoring him," the doctor explained.
"You have been unnecessarily worrying and confining yourself. You should have at least called me up," Lakshmi showed her anger. She stayed back in the hospital that night when the two girls came up with an idea. "We will start an AIDS education cell in school and disseminate information about the disease," they planned.
But back at school, they found their idea was unwelcome. "Concentrate on the subjects in your syllabus first," the class teacher sounded rude.
But today, Lakshmi is more confident of broaching the idea again. She jumped out the moment the bus came to a halt at the school gate. Even before she uttered anything, a smiling Karuna was already waving the morning newspaper. After the assembly when the class teacher came for attendance, she smiled at both the girls and took them to the principal's room where the two friends were told that by the year end arrangements would be made to start the advocacy education on AIDS as directed by the State Government and aided by the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society.
She congratulated the two young students for coming up with the same idea earlier and appointed them as volunteers in aiding the classes on AIDS. The classes will aim at removing ignorance and stigma about the disease, how it can be transmitted and what precautions can be taken. Isn't that good news?
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