A is for AIDs

Intro
OK, back to basics a little here.  I think I lost my sense of human RIGHTs with all my writing about politics.  So here's back to the alphabet idea, and see if I can't tackle the whole thing a little better this time.

A standing for AIDs is an obvious one, but it seems to me that it must go hand-in-hand with awareness and assault.  In many places - especially rural parts of most countries - AIDs is little understood beyond the fact that it kills people, and its deadly spread is largely due to sexual assault, which has become THE weapon of choice it seems.  There'll be more on sexual assault separately under R is for Rape I should think.

A is for AIDs

In various readings over the years I've come across the idea that it seems likely that AIDs first appeared in human form in west-central Africa, that its terrifying spread is in part due to the Kinchasa Highway, and that it is the modern day equivalent of leprosy.  Since its 'discovery' in 1981, AIDs has infected 60 million people worldwide, almost half of whom have died as a result.  2 million new cases are estimated each year and with the ongoing rate of infection and the lack of impact in educating people in how to prevent it, the mortality rate is only climbing.

There are already 14 million AIDs orphans, and many are born HIV positive or contract it through breastfeeding.

This is an issue in itself: one of the most effective ways of preventing mother-to-child infection is for the mother not to breastfeed.  But if there is no option?  If the mother doesn't breastfeed, the child WILL die; if she does, it will only PROBABLY die.

For my part, South Africa is the place to look in terms of working with AIDs.  With nearly 6 million people infected, 18% of people have AIDs...

BUT...

Demographics are more telling: 1 in 3 South African women between 25 and 29 have the disease; and 1 in 4 men between 30 and 34 have it.

Causes for Hope

In 1997, the number of deaths in South Africa attributed to AIDs was approximately 300,000.  In 2006, it was double that number.
In 2011 it was back down to 300,000 because the South African government launched a massive HIV counselling and testing campaign in 2010.

2 million of the world's 14 million AIDs orphans are in South Africa alone.

There is still a massive amount to be done, but progress is being made.

Notably, an article in Nature (International weekly journal of science) printed an article on January 4th of this year saying that scientists have had some initial success trialing a vaccine on monkeys with SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus - the strain that is believed to be the origine of HIV).  Monkeys can be safely tested because of the similarity of the viral strains, and because HIV does not cause disease in monkeys.
In theory I'm not in favour of testing anything on animals, but this has been done, and for the millions of AIDs sufferers worldwide, it is a cause for hope.

http://www.nature.com/news/monkey-vaccine-hints-at-how-to-stop-hiv-1.9738


It is interesting to me that the proposed origin of AIDs coincides with the geographical location of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which I have written about previously, quoting the notion that it is the rape capital of the world.

A is for assault

Rape is a major cause of the prevalence of AIDs in South Africa.  If you look at the rape/sexual assault statistics here it is horrific to consider the violence that is spreading the disease.

But that brings us to an interesting point.  Beyond treating AIDs and ending gender-based violence there must be some kind of work towards bringing greater understanding.

I recently listened to a Nottingham University podcast featuring Nigel Hunt, author of "Memory, War and Trauma", talking about the psychological effects of war on both individuals and societies.  He noted, as a simple fact, that better educated people are more likely to cope with traumatic events than uneducated people.

With such a widespread use of rape and violence in the African continent, I can't help but remember, with disgust, the UK's failure to ratify the Europen Convention on Domestic Violence.

Overall, I don't think it's feasible to tackle the problem of violence and rape head on.  It has to be dealt with sideways.  To explain: if we stand up and protect the most vulnerable people in any situation, we only confirm their weakness.  If we stand up and lecture the opposition on behalf of someone, we only confirm their lack of education.

So, this issue will be visited further in R is for Rape as well as E is for Education and Empowerment.

A is for Awareness

What do you know about AIDs?  What can you do about it?

www.avert.org