HIV/AIDS in Lesotho

Population: 1.8 (should be 2.1)
#of PLWHA: 260,000
Prevalence rate: 23-30%

Lesotho has the third highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Before I arrived I thought I would see a lot of "sick" people but so many people are infected and they are very good at hiding it. The stigma is a huge problem here. When people die, they die of the "common cold" (AKA TB-HIV co-infection). 80% of people who have TB also have HIV. People do not talk about their status. To find these people in the community is a rarity. I see more of it because I work directly with people who are living openly with HIV/AIDS but other than that people don't talk about it. Some common MYTHS I've heard since being in Lesotho are: condoms have worms and if you put them under the microscope you can see them. Sharing toothbrushes causes AIDS. There is a billboard in Maseru that actually says this! I guess its possible, blood to blood via toothbrush but the chance of this transmission is very LOW. But this is what people here are worried about, not unprotected sex. It is very common in Lesotho for people to be engaged in multiple con-concurrent relationships. Especially with so many men in Lesotho working in the mines in South Africa. Even if one is married it is perceived that there is a side girl of some sort. But people don't recognize this as a problem. "Men have needs" is the excuse I have heard (from men of course). Traditionally the basotho were a polygamous culture. King Moshoeshoe I (founder of Lesotho) had 15 wives! This mentality is in-grained in the culture. I've also heard people say that AIDS isn't real. That it was just made up to scare people. There is definitely a lot of work to be done here and most of my "work" will probably just consist of having conversations with people about HIV/AIDS and trying to debunk myths associated with it.