Monday, Jan 31, 2005
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By Hasan Suroor
LONDON, JAN. 30. Inspired by the South African statesman, Nelson Mandela's courage in declaring that his son, who died recently, had AIDS, a senior British MP and former Cabinet Minister has disclosed that he has been HIV positive for 17 years. Chris Smith, Britain's first openly gay MP, said he decided to make his condition public after being "struck'' by Mr. Mandela's remarks when, speaking about the cause of his son, he called for the need to fight prejudice surrounding HIV. "He was brave and right; and it is especially true for all of us for whom the advances of medical science mean that we are healthy and well,'' Mr. Smith said. He believed it was important to "demystify'' the disease and challenge public perceptions of it. Mr. Smith, who has previously chaired the Booker Prize jury and is chairman of the London Cultural Commission, said he was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987 but did not know when he contracted it. He said he told only a few close friends, and did not tell the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, about his condition when appointed a Cabinet Minister in 1997 because it did not affect his work. "When I first heard about it, I was really worried because there was hardly any treatment but I was lucky and fairly early put on AZT (a combination of drugs for HIV),'' he told The Sunday Times.
Combination therapy
Mr. Smith (53) said he had been on a "combination therapy'' for 17 years and the condition had not affected him physically. "Of course it means taking a lot of pills every day,'' he said. He emphasised that with recent medical advances, HIV had become "treatable'' and it was possible to be "fit and active, do a serious job and make a real contribution to society while living with HIV.'' His decision to declare his condition was hailed as "brave,'' and health campaigners said it would help fight public misconceptions about HIV.
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