Esther Abraham is a terminally ill HIV woman who faces with serenity and maturity a common reality in South Sudan.
Esther, 39 years old, got HIV infected by her husband, who died shortly after discovering that he was seropositive. But she does not blame him. She says God is who decided for one reason that she should become infected. “He will also decide my death,” she concludes.
Esther has no children and stopped working when the virus made her feel tired and weak. She now lives with her sister and her nieces, who take care of her. She temporarily quit taking the antiretroviral drugs because she didn’t see any good and this almost definitely condemned her to die. “Sometimes I don’t have even anything to eat, so why should I take these medicines?”, she says.
According to UNAIDS, South Sudan official rate of HIV infection is 3% among the adult population, but adding child infections and a more accurate search in rural areas, this index would likely reach 10%. Nearly 15,000 people die annually in South Sudan because of this virus that spreads easily due to ignorance and prejudice.
Considering the country is still suffering from a bloody civil confrontation and extreme poverty, it’s easy to conclude that AIDS still has many years ahead to burst people’s hopes for a normal life.
Komentar