Education Minister's knowledge is an issue …

SUNDAY, 06 MARCH 2016

The statement made yesterday (5th) by the Minister of Education of the Maithri - Ranil coalition government Akila Viraj Kariyawasam indicates that measures are being taken by them to separate the mother, the only consolation of the Kuliyapitiya child who has been denied a school due to remours that have been spread regarding HIV infection, from the child. Isn't separating the child from the mother, who has been confronted with the intense pressure from the society and the unfortunate state her child has been subjected to, a vile act, specially, when the only consolation of this woman whose husband has died is her only child?

The Minister of Education says a court order would be taken to separate the child from the mother and hand over to probation care. He said the Zonal Education Director had told him that the mother has HIV and went on to say that the child could be infected with HIV since "he was sleeping under his mother's protection."

This displays the knowledge of the Minister of Education. A child doesn't get infected mere because it sleeps under the care of its mother. Doctors have assured that people do not get infected with HIV virus through air or touch.

'HIV' which stands for human immunodeficiency virus is infected through sexual contact, blood transfusions, accidental needle sticks or needle sharing, breast feeding and through organ transplantation with infected organs.

According to Mr. Akila Viraj Kariyawasam does the child sleeps with its mother like husband and wife? This statement is indeed a statement of a person with a distorted mind.

Doctors have not confirmed that child's mother has been infected with HIV and Dr. G Weerasinghe, a Consultant Venereologist of the National STD/AIDS Control Program, had confirmed that the child is not infected with HIV virus. The Minister of Education also states that he was elected to Parliament with more than 300,000 preference votes. He says he doesn't intend holding media pageants using the mother and the child.

According to information from Kariyawasam's own area the husband of this woman had died of a disease related to the chest. After a certain period a person with political backing attempted to entice the woman for an extramarital relationship. As she had rejected his advances this person, in a rage, spread the story that the dead husband had AIDS and she too had infected the disease.