EDITORIAL
Waking up to safer sex
Norah Casey RGN, Editor
Issue 41 Volume 6
The furore over the Birmingham man who is alleged to have wilfully infect ed four women with HIV is reminiscent of the media’s irresponsi ble behaviour when the issue of AIDS and HIV first erupted in the UK. Clearly the ingrained prejudices and misconceptions that existed then have survived the mass public information campaigns. It is as though the sordid headlines and barely controlled hys terical news reporting have suddenly been unleashed again after lying dor mant in the grimy crevices of the tabloid news rooms. The press is now relishing the ‘scan dal’. The beleaguered man at the centre of the controversy has provided just the right ingredients to legitimise their moral outrage and emotive cov erage. Even the heavyweight press and more serious media programmes have sunk to tabloid-tactics in covering this sorry incident. The most astonishing aspect of the saga is that the media have only just woken up to an issue which has been a fact of life for many years. There are people who are HIV posi tive who, for one reason or another, choose not to reveal the fact to their partners, whether they are casual or long term. And they may continue to have unprotected sex despite being aware of the risks. This issue has posed complex ethical dilemmas for those
nurses involved in counselling and car ing for people with HIV. Indeed, on some occasions nurses find that they have both partners on their client list, one of whom is HIV positive unbeknown to the other. In those cir cumstances nurses have to safeguard one patient’s confidentiality even if it poses a major threat to another’s health. Yet it seems to have taken some time for the media and society to come to the realisation that the millions of pounds spent on HIV/AIDS awareness has been about issues such as this. It does seem little has been achieved over the past years. We still segregate people with HIV/AIDS into high-risk and low-risk categories as though, some how, people who aren’t homosexual, drug users or haemophiliacs are exempt from infection. In reality, however, there is no such thing as a ‘safe sexual rela tionship’. Asking the right questions of a casual or long-term partner is not the answer. Their sexual history needs to be related to their previous partners’ sexu al histories and so forth. Arguably, anybody who engages in unprotected sex is at risk of HIV infection. Whatever the truth behind the Birmingham case, perhaps it will jolt the heterosexual community into recognising HIV poses a real risk to all and protected sex is everyone’s responsibility.
Production Manager Phil Savva Chief Subeditor
Exhibitions Executive Administrative Controller
Clinical Editor
Louise Roberts Subeditors Michelle D’Lemos, Loretta McCarthy Art Director John Bowling Designer Ken McLoone Picture Editor Beverley Hadfield Editor’s PA Susan Bloodworth
Alex Mathieson RNMH, RGN
Editorial Administrator
Clinical Correspondent
Wanda Freeman
Publisher Alison Dunn Editor Norah Casey RGN Deputy Editor Linda Thomas RGN News Editor Jean Gray News Team Derek Hand,
Jackie O'byrne Features Editor
Charlotte Alderman RGN
Neil Madden Olive Healey Mail Order Jillic Little Display Advertisement Sales
Sheila Rowe: 071-383 6330 Mark Jessop: 071-383 6596 Classified Advertisement Sales
Daniel Allen RMN
Marketing Director
Rosemary Clare: 071-383 6450 Andy Joseph ides: 071-383 6536 Bernadette Kearney: 071-383 6531
Clinical Consultant
Trevor Peel RGN, RMN, FETC Marketing PA Carol Stewart
Group Advertisement Production Manager
Book Review Editor
Deputy Marketing Manager
Jackie Connor: 071-383 6325
Phyllis Holbrook
Sandra Brown
Advertisement Production
Viewpoint Editor
Conference/Exhibitions Manager
John Naish
Karen Waterman
Alison Harris: 071-383 6208 Jonathan Beadle: 071-383 6269
Brian Dolan RMN, RGN, CHSM
July 1/Volume 6/Numbcr 41 /1992 Nursing Standard 3
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Sep 14, 2016. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Waking up to safer sex
Norah Casey RGN, Editor
Issue 41 Volume 6
The furore over the Birmingham man who is alleged to have wilfully infect ed four women with HIV is reminiscent of the media’s irresponsi ble behaviour when the issue of AIDS and HIV first erupted in the UK. Clearly the ingrained prejudices and misconceptions that existed then have survived the mass public information campaigns. It is as though the sordid headlines and barely controlled hys terical news reporting have suddenly been unleashed again after lying dor mant in the grimy crevices of the tabloid news rooms. The press is now relishing the ‘scan dal’. The beleaguered man at the centre of the controversy has provided just the right ingredients to legitimise their moral outrage and emotive cov erage. Even the heavyweight press and more serious media programmes have sunk to tabloid-tactics in covering this sorry incident. The most astonishing aspect of the saga is that the media have only just woken up to an issue which has been a fact of life for many years. There are people who are HIV posi tive who, for one reason or another, choose not to reveal the fact to their partners, whether they are casual or long term. And they may continue to have unprotected sex despite being aware of the risks. This issue has posed complex ethical dilemmas for those
nurses involved in counselling and car ing for people with HIV. Indeed, on some occasions nurses find that they have both partners on their client list, one of whom is HIV positive unbeknown to the other. In those cir cumstances nurses have to safeguard one patient’s confidentiality even if it poses a major threat to another’s health. Yet it seems to have taken some time for the media and society to come to the realisation that the millions of pounds spent on HIV/AIDS awareness has been about issues such as this. It does seem little has been achieved over the past years. We still segregate people with HIV/AIDS into high-risk and low-risk categories as though, some how, people who aren’t homosexual, drug users or haemophiliacs are exempt from infection. In reality, however, there is no such thing as a ‘safe sexual rela tionship’. Asking the right questions of a casual or long-term partner is not the answer. Their sexual history needs to be related to their previous partners’ sexu al histories and so forth. Arguably, anybody who engages in unprotected sex is at risk of HIV infection. Whatever the truth behind the Birmingham case, perhaps it will jolt the heterosexual community into recognising HIV poses a real risk to all and protected sex is everyone’s responsibility.
Production Manager Phil Savva Chief Subeditor
Exhibitions Executive Administrative Controller
Clinical Editor
Louise Roberts Subeditors Michelle D’Lemos, Loretta McCarthy Art Director John Bowling Designer Ken McLoone Picture Editor Beverley Hadfield Editor’s PA Susan Bloodworth
Alex Mathieson RNMH, RGN
Editorial Administrator
Clinical Correspondent
Wanda Freeman
Publisher Alison Dunn Editor Norah Casey RGN Deputy Editor Linda Thomas RGN News Editor Jean Gray News Team Derek Hand,
Jackie O'byrne Features Editor
Charlotte Alderman RGN
Neil Madden Olive Healey Mail Order Jillic Little Display Advertisement Sales
Sheila Rowe: 071-383 6330 Mark Jessop: 071-383 6596 Classified Advertisement Sales
Daniel Allen RMN
Marketing Director
Rosemary Clare: 071-383 6450 Andy Joseph ides: 071-383 6536 Bernadette Kearney: 071-383 6531
Clinical Consultant
Trevor Peel RGN, RMN, FETC Marketing PA Carol Stewart
Group Advertisement Production Manager
Book Review Editor
Deputy Marketing Manager
Jackie Connor: 071-383 6325
Phyllis Holbrook
Sandra Brown
Advertisement Production
Viewpoint Editor
Conference/Exhibitions Manager
John Naish
Karen Waterman
Alison Harris: 071-383 6208 Jonathan Beadle: 071-383 6269
Brian Dolan RMN, RGN, CHSM
July 1/Volume 6/Numbcr 41 /1992 Nursing Standard 3
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Sep 14, 2016. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
