HIV and AIDS [facts]

The fight against HIV and AIDS

^{Copyright - Ubani Alexander Chijioke}

According to AIDS researcher Dawn Mokhobo "sexual rules have largely broken down," that is the order of the day in Africa. The hands of civilization and development have darkened the minds of many towards a most worthless lifestyle. It is sad to note that long held traditions and cultures are now being abandoned for other fashionable and imported cultures. The trend is that they now overdo it, making a complete nuisance of themselves.

It is sad to note that the core values, respect and bond that bind many marriages take no hold on the conscience of many. No wonder the journal African Affairs says that "sub-Saharan Africa puts considerable value on children but minimal value on marriage. Sexuality outside of marriage, even . . . if it leads to pregnancy, is not disapproved of strongly." What a shame!

Even married men, women and youths have stuck like adhesive to this deadly scourge. The increases in the number of infected victims of HIV and AIDS have drastically increased due to this ugly development. In some areas, promiscuity and sexual exploitation is the norm. Men and youths patronize prostitutes freely and openly in search of sexual gratification and satisfaction. The infection rate have skyrocketed and the number of infected ones too many to control.

The Panos Document on AIDS in Africa tells the following experience of a medical researcher in Zaire: "One night, after I had been doing blood tests in a rural area with some Zairian medical colleagues, they went off with some of the local girls. They slept with them, and only one of them used a condom." When he asked them about the risk, "they laughed, saying that you couldn't give up living just because you might get a disease." Yes, casual sex is considered by many to be "living"-fun, entertainment.

More so, "In many African countries the amount of money budgeted per person per year for health care is less than the cost of a single blood test for the AIDS virus," explains the brochure Understanding & Preventing AIDS. Similarly, Keith Edelston, author of the book AIDS-Countdown to Doomsday, explains that "even soap to sterilize equipment, or ordinary household bleach to mop up spills, are often just not available."

The prevailing circumstances against the growth of Africa are too obvious. AIDS play a major role in the desolation of Africa's abode. The continued dilapidated structures, and the practice of reusing syringes on many patients and the inability to provide appropriate medical attention coupled with handicapped facilities motivates the spread of this disease.

Again, the tendency of transfusing blood is another way of advocating the spread of the disease. The risk of accidental infection is another setback. The case of two doctors who sustained needle scratches while treating AIDS patients attest to the fact that many hospitals lack the facilities to protect the lives of others. Contaminated blood as a result of no screening is a most ugly scenario. It is in fact right to say that Africa is suffering.

The future of Africa looks gloomy and hopeless. The UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) estimates that as 2.9 million women die of AIDS in Africa this decade, up to 5.5 million children will be orphaned. An official from one country that has at least 40,000 AIDS orphans reports that already "there are villages . . . of children only."

Africa's future look bleak and most sober, an estimated 17 million people have already been infected and the continent is home to about 67 percent of the world's AIDS cases. It is pathetic, sober and most ugly to have this burden placed on people, young and old. The children and adults are suffering the effect of this deadly scourge. It is high time we the people of Africa take responsibilities. Let all concerned put hands together and fight this scourge. We must act responsibly and avoid unprotected sex. Use a condom, go for test and don't forget that people love you. DEARLY