“No HIV warning” for mum

Hamish Heard
A HIVpositive Geelong mother believes a State Government department knew she was at high risk of contracting the deadly disease but failed to warn her.
And the 38yearold woman, who asked to be identified as Linda, claimed a lack of government support since she was diagnosed had forced her to resort to shoplifting to feed her 11yearold son.
Linda has used Freedom of Information laws to apply for access to documents she believes could prove Department of Human Services knew she was in a relationship with a man carrying the disease.
Linda’s former partner, Solomon Mwale, a HIVpositive Zambian student from Belmont, will appear in a Geelong court charged with recklessly causing serious injury.
The charge relates to allegations Mr Mwale knew he was HIVpositive and failed to reveal his condition when he had unprotected sex with Linda during their threeyear affair.
“I can’t help but feel that (the Department of Human Services) knew I could be infected long before I did,” she said.
“The police have already told me there was a file at DHS with information about me from before the time I was diagnosed.”
In February, the Melbourne media reported an alleged admission by Mwale that he had unprotected sex with several women without disclosing his HIV status.
Linda said she was not eligible for a disability pension and had fallen thousands of dollars behind in rent payments.
“I’ve had to go in and steal food and I’m not talking once or twice, I’m talking every week,” she said.
“I’m not a thief and I don’t want to be put into that position in order for us to survive.”
Linda said she was unable to work with the disease due to allergic reactions to medications prescribed to treat it.
“There’s never enough food in the house,” she said.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Bronwyn Pike declined to comment.
Mrs Pike earlier this month sacked Victoria’s chief health officer after allegations the department bungled AIDS health alerts.