What would you do if your maid was HIV-positive?
Sep 12, 2008
Shalom Mbalire, a mother of four, had a housemaid every woman would wish for. Apart from being neat and polite, Nabwire was hardworking and did everything on time.
By Rehema Aanyu
Shalom Mbalire, a mother of four, had a housemaid every woman would wish for. Apart from being neat and polite, Nabwire was hardworking and did everything on time.
She knew how to cook, wash, keep the house tidy and was the children’s best friend. When she fell ill one day, Mbalire took her to hospital for some tests. It was then that it was discovered Nabwire was HIV positive.
“The rest ceased to matter to me. I just could not trust her with my kids anymore,†Mbalire said remorsefully. The following day, she booked Nabwire on the first bus back to her parents in Mbale.
Winnie Mubanga, an accountant and mother of two, experienced the same. She too sent her housemaid of five years away on learning that she was HIV positive. “The thought of having to take care of the maid who was supposed to take care of us was a responsibility I was not ready to shoulder,†she said frankly.
To many people, the reality of living with an HIV positive person still poses a big concern. It’s even worse when the subject is a house help. No matter how committed she or he may be in her or his duties, many employers choose to let them go.
But what if you choose to let him or her stay? How best can you protect your family from infection while letting them carry on with their work?
Emily Namara, a medical officer at The AIDS Support Organisation at Mulago says there are four known avenues of acquiring HIV / AIDS: sexual intercourse with an infected person, mother to child infections during childbirth, blood transfusion and sharing sharp objects with infected people.
She says though a large number of people get HIV/AIDS sexually, it is possible that a housemaid can pass on the virus to a child or persons in his or her care if there are no precautions taken.
Namara says infection risks are highest where both the housemaid and persons in her care are sexually active and instances where parents entirely entrust the HIV positive housemaid with all duties including cutting the children’s nails, hair or even dressing their wounds.
Phoebe Nabongo, a senior counsellor at Infectious Diseases Clinic at Mulago says it is best to discuss HIV/AIDS in a home. “With the consent of the affected party, it is best to let the children know so they can protect themselves.â€
Nabongo argues that with the revelation that someone has HIV, come anger, denial, depression and at times feelings of revenge.
She says if this person is not undergoing counselling and at the same time not getting support and encouragement from immediate friends and family, it may trigger feelings of revenge.
Nabongo adds that just like the maid, the whole family should enroll for counselling to learn how to live with this person.
She says this also shows that you have integrated her into your family and who would want to harm her loved ones?
Adelline Twimukye, an HIV counsellor at IDC says though most people look at housemaids as machines, it is best to employ another maid to reduce the other’s workload.
It may seem a tall order but Ugandan law renders it criminal and discriminatory to lay off a worker because of their HIV status
Through work division, Twimukye says duties such as washing, tidying the house, ironing and shopping can be left to the HIV positive maid and duties connected to the children such as bathing them, cutting their nails and cooking should be left to the other maid.
Shalom Mbalire, a mother of four, had a housemaid every woman would wish for. Apart from being neat and polite, Nabwire was hardworking and did everything on time.
She knew how to cook, wash, keep the house tidy and was the children’s best friend. When she fell ill one day, Mbalire took her to hospital for some tests. It was then that it was discovered Nabwire was HIV positive.
“The rest ceased to matter to me. I just could not trust her with my kids anymore,†Mbalire said remorsefully. The following day, she booked Nabwire on the first bus back to her parents in Mbale.
Winnie Mubanga, an accountant and mother of two, experienced the same. She too sent her housemaid of five years away on learning that she was HIV positive. “The thought of having to take care of the maid who was supposed to take care of us was a responsibility I was not ready to shoulder,†she said frankly.
To many people, the reality of living with an HIV positive person still poses a big concern. It’s even worse when the subject is a house help. No matter how committed she or he may be in her or his duties, many employers choose to let them go.
But what if you choose to let him or her stay? How best can you protect your family from infection while letting them carry on with their work?
Emily Namara, a medical officer at The AIDS Support Organisation at Mulago says there are four known avenues of acquiring HIV / AIDS: sexual intercourse with an infected person, mother to child infections during childbirth, blood transfusion and sharing sharp objects with infected people.
She says though a large number of people get HIV/AIDS sexually, it is possible that a housemaid can pass on the virus to a child or persons in his or her care if there are no precautions taken.
Namara says infection risks are highest where both the housemaid and persons in her care are sexually active and instances where parents entirely entrust the HIV positive housemaid with all duties including cutting the children’s nails, hair or even dressing their wounds.
Phoebe Nabongo, a senior counsellor at Infectious Diseases Clinic at Mulago says it is best to discuss HIV/AIDS in a home. “With the consent of the affected party, it is best to let the children know so they can protect themselves.â€
Nabongo argues that with the revelation that someone has HIV, come anger, denial, depression and at times feelings of revenge.
She says if this person is not undergoing counselling and at the same time not getting support and encouragement from immediate friends and family, it may trigger feelings of revenge.
Nabongo adds that just like the maid, the whole family should enroll for counselling to learn how to live with this person.
She says this also shows that you have integrated her into your family and who would want to harm her loved ones?
Adelline Twimukye, an HIV counsellor at IDC says though most people look at housemaids as machines, it is best to employ another maid to reduce the other’s workload.
It may seem a tall order but Ugandan law renders it criminal and discriminatory to lay off a worker because of their HIV status
Through work division, Twimukye says duties such as washing, tidying the house, ironing and shopping can be left to the HIV positive maid and duties connected to the children such as bathing them, cutting their nails and cooking should be left to the other maid.