Testing for HIV in the belly of the Kalahari

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Thursday August 26, 2010 00:00

The last time I went for a test was three years back during a youth event in Gaborone. Ever since then, I have found it difficult to go for further tests because whenever I make an attempt, I always find that the queues are too long. For starters, before one gets tested, they have to undergo mandatory counselling, which takes a long time.

It also goes without saying that many young urbanites feel that they cannot easily be infected with AIDS as they believe it is a 'disease' that mostly affects people from rural areas. This was demonstrated when I tried to ask my travelling companions to accompany me to Tebelopele.  One of them gave an excuse that he did not want to die in the desert. I interpreted that to mean that his greatest fear was that if he tested positive, he would be tempted to commit suicide in Gantsi. I began to wonder if it would be possible for me to kill myself if I were to test positive.

I have to admit that like any other person, I would not like to test positive for HIV or any other disease for that matter but something deep down in my heart tells me that being HIV positive should not be seen as a death sentence especially in a country that offers the lifesaving antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for free.  Surely if one follows his or her doctors recommendations, he or she can live longer?

Personally, I have always feared diseases such as cancer and never AIDS but most certainly, the stigma attached to it would make it hard to come out in the open if I were infected.

So for me to get an opportunity to go for a test in the middle of a desert was not an easy thing as I feared the worst.  Fortunately, when I got into the little Tebelopele tent, I found a friendly counsellor who did everything in her power to make me feel at ease. The woman wanted to know if there was any concern that had driven me to Tebelopele and I told her that my main concern was that I had taken too long without going for a test. She then asked me if I sweat and get fatigued easily.

I felt I had to confess to the woman that I was the sweaty type and I tire easily but I had to further explain that this has happened since childhood.

Then the counsellor dropped a bombshell: 'Do you sleep with women, men or people of both sexes?'

The question unsettled me, not because I had any fears of revealing my sexuality but simply because I felt it was a personal matter. The woman insisted I answer the question and I told her my sexuality, which was not a big deal to me. Then another equally tough question followed: To whom are you going to reveal your status after this?

I told the counsellor that depending on the results, I would tell my partner and then my family in that order. I further told her that I felt it would be of great importance that my partner know my status so that we take necessary precautions and my family because if I happened to be HIV positive, I would not want to infect any one of them in case he or she took care of me if I happened to be gravely ill.

In between all the questions, the counsellor showed me two apparatus telling me that she would put my blood samples on them and that if two strips or lines appear on them after about 10 minutes, it would mean that I was HIV positive, if there was only one strip, it would mean that I was negative.

She further told me that if I happened to test positive, she would recommend that I see my doctor who would in turn advice me what course of action to take depending on my CD4 count.

After what seemed to be hours, the counsellor asked me to open the lid to reveal the apparatus in the container.My heart beat fast as I looked at the results and I walked out of the tent a happy man since I knew my status.

My advice to my peers; it is better to know your status than have an imaginary death sentence hanging over your head.