World Aids Day

[KathyFP]

38.6 million adults
19.2 million woman
3.2 million children

Are we really doing all we can to reduce the numbers?

 

[poohandwendy]

Who is 'we'? Do you mean scientific research, preventative measures, education, the government...what or who?

I know the numbers are awful but just like any horrible disease, it just isn't that easy to come up with a cure.

If you mean 'we' as in the efforts being made by the medical community, I would say they are trying. If you are saying there is some political agenda holding back a cure...I would disagree.

 

[Chuck S]

I don't necessary think there is an agenda to hold back the drug companies to find a cure...after all, they still haven't found a cure for the common cold. And new drugs and vaccines do go to human trials a few times per year..they just haven't been effective, yet. What does show some promise is gene therapy, the AIDS virus uses the same keyhole in the white blood cells to enter the body as the Plague (and the Plague is a bacteria). Decendants of Euroeans that survived the Plague and have 2 copies of the Delta 34 gene are showing immunity to the AIDS virus. Those with one copy of the gene will eventually get sick, but live longer and healthier lives than those without the gene. Africans, and people of African decent, do not carry this gene and have no natural immunity...part of the reason for the severe epidemic in the African countries. (I saw all this on PBS about 2 months ago - pretty facinating).

But we still have some problems in the US with "abstinence only" education becoming the norm in more and more US School systems. We are not giving kids the information they need. And before you start flaming, I think abstinence for teens would, of course, be an ideal situation, but in reality, Texas has one of the highest birth rates for unwed teens. They need to know how to protect themselves for STDs in general, of which AIDS happens to be one.

I have a friend who is infected, thank goodness he has health insurance. If he ever were to be without it, he could not afford his meds. They are nearly $1000 per month retail. AIDS victims without insurance are like the elderly, they can't afford their life saving meds.

 

[poohandwendy]

Chuck,

That is interesting, I wish I had seen that program.

But we still have some problems in the US with "abstinence only" education becoming the norm in more and more US School systems. We are not giving kids the information they need. And before you start flaming, I think abstinence for teens would, of course, be an ideal situation, but in reality, Texas has one of the highest birth rates for unwed teens. They need to know how to protect themselves for STDs in general, of which AIDS happens to be one.

I think you can blame parents with the 'hear no evil, see no evil' mentality. They just don't want to deal with reality or their little snookums hearing the truth...

 

[Galahad]

Not discounting the problems still here at home, but the problem in Africa and parts of Asia is unfathomably bad. I'd say in general we are doing more but not yet doing enough in those places. Major epidemics like this have very serious economic and social consequences that, IMO, make it necessary for countries like the U.S. and those in Europe to do more, if for nothing else, for national security/smart foreign policy reasons. Better still if we are really showing a measure of altruism, but either way we need to keep at it.

 

[acepepper]

The catholic church could make a huge impact on these figures but carries on with this lethal message that condoms are bad. This is condemning hundreds of thousands to death. There's no doubt that the CC does a tremendous amount of good in the world but when it does things badly, it does them BADLY.

 

[MHopkins2]

Originally posted by poohandwendy
I think you can blame parents with the 'hear no evil, see no evil' mentality. They just don't want to deal with reality or their little snookums hearing the truth...

Yep. Parents and administrators / legislators / etc. who feel like "surrogate parents" with the same silly mentality.

 

[grinningghost]

With so much emphasis put on using condoms, kids today don't think abstinence is necessary. While condoms do help, abstinence would help alot more.

 

[poohandwendy]

With so much emphasis put on using condoms, kids today don't think abstinence is necessary. While condoms do help, abstinence would help alot more

Sure it would, but kids aren't choosing not to be abstinent because condoms are available. Kids that choose abstinence do so primarily for moral reasons not medical ones. That begins with teaching moral values in the home...way before they are teens. And, even still, it does not stop the majority of teens from becoming sexually active.

 

[maidmarion]

Originally posted by Chuck S
I don't necessary think there is an agenda to hold back the drug companies to find a cure...after all, they still haven't found a cure for the common cold.

But the common cold doesn't kill the number of people that AIDS does and the common cold does not affect communities of color and non-heterosexual orientation disproportionately.

Also, the Catholic Church alone hasn't nearly the power the media affords it. I don't support the Catholic AIDS policy, but I frankly feel a little weird about condemning them roundly for basically providing similar education to that which we provide our school children in the United States. Increasingly, the Catholic doctrine is becoming acceptably the American public school discussion as well.

Whether or not abstinence is the best policy doesn't seem to be the issue here. What is the issue is the fact that people are getting sick and some are dying and have been for a long time. If AIDS were not stigmatized with this "taint of immorality" ("Oh, you must have done something to DESERVE this . . .") the way it is in our culture, I don't doubt that AIDS meds would be more accessible and our education efforts would not ignore potentially life-saving measures.

 

[grinningghost]

Our culture is becoming more and more open. That's good for some things and bad for others. It's almost as if by advertising condom use and constantly referring to sex in the mass media, the whole issue of promiscuity is being given a pass. That's the normal way of thinking these days, and that can't be a good thing for AIDS.