There is a false feeling of relief among many in the world today that the scourge of HIV/AIDS has run its course. After two decades that have claimed millions of lives in Africa, Asia and the West, the world is distracted by new crises and is taking for granted that people have changed their lifestyles and that doctors have found medicines so that we needn’t worry much longer about AIDS.
The reality is that we are on the brink of a new explosion of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The United Nations has recently called HIV/AIDS the greatest epidemic in world history. Our idea that the AIDS epidemic has slowed down has been fostered by many countries not admitting the truth – that huge portions of their populations are infected – and by many of us blaming the victims of AIDS, thinking that it is punishment for bad behaviour.
In the world today, 42 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS, 28 million of those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many African leaders have not wanted to divulge exact statistics for fear of hurting their country’s image, their tourist industry or causing a panic. United Nations statistics place adult infection rates in Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Lesotho at 31 to 39%. Someone in Sub-Saharan Africa dies of AIDS every 13 seconds.
An entire generation in Sub-Saharan Africa has been wiped out by AIDS, leaving tens of millions of children orphaned. These children may in fact be orphaned two or three times, as they lose aunts and uncles who have taken over their care. Village and even national economies are also deeply affected as the economic engine – the young adult generation – is buried. Young children and elderly grandparents are often left behind to fend for themselves.
However, this is not just an African problem. Relatively new outbreak areas are now being identified. For instance, Eastern Europe, now out from under Soviet domination, is struggling with social breakdown and growing poverty. A failing health system, unemployment and a lack of leadership have created a welcoming home for HIV/AIDS.
Another explosion in AIDS is taking place in the world’s two most populous countries, China and India. People often mistakenly think that HIV/AIDS is caused by promiscuity or homosexuality. But a recent BBC World Service story documents a village in China so poor that the peasants resorted to earning money by selling their blood to a private agency. As you might suspect, the needles were unsanitary and reused, resulting in an AIDS epidemic in that village. The peasants had no money for medicines and many people have suffered and died.
Stephen Lewis is a Canadian that we can all be proud of. He is the United Nations Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and an outspoken advocate on behalf of those suffering from the disease. He is also an outspoken critic of rich nations who have put large amounts of money into defence spending but relatively little into fighting AIDS. For instance, the U.S. has a $10 trillion economy, but has put only $78 million toward the fight (about 25 cents for every American).
Lewis says that AIDS is not only a health issue but also an economic and social one, and poverty in the world can’t be beaten unless AIDS is tackled first. Multinational drug companies have also been criticized for selling their AIDS medications too expensively and some are beginning to lower those prices for use in the Third World.
Funds are needed to support initiatives, from national to local levels, that create better educational and health care services for the poor. A better informed public who have access to preventive and curative services will be much less vulnerable to AIDS.
Projects that promote the equality of women in traditional societies are needed, as they are often victimized by social systems that allow men to set the parameters of sexual relationships. A woman may be expected to be submissive to a man’s advances and have no control over who her sexual partners are or whether or not a condom is used.
Abject poverty and migrating populations, along with Western tourism, create situations where prostitution is a real problem. Girls are sold into the sex trade and men seek sex with many partners while they are working away from home. Many people suffering from AIDS or living in the midst of it are misinformed about the causes and inadvertently spread it further.
Here in Canada, we may assume that AIDS is an African disease only and that the problems that cause AIDS only exist in that faraway place and only affect people of other races and cultures. However, Canada is also showing noticeable numbers of new AIDS cases, related to a growing female children sex trade, drug use and poverty.
The answer in fighting HIV/AIDS, like many serious problems in our society, is to fight ignorance, prejudice and poverty. Education and prevention initiatives have to include social change to improve the standing of women, the poor and the outcast. For some countries, the first step - admitting that there is a problem – is still necessary. For other countries that have the resources to fight HIV/AIDS, like ours, what is necessary is the political will to put the programs and funding in place.
December 1st is World AIDS Day. We must work toward eliminating the need for such a Day. |
