On G.Gordon Liddy the other day he read a UN(maybe) report that stated 1 in 3 in Africa is HIV positive. With Russia having a large percentage increase as well.
While America has it’s own HIV population. How would we as a country react to such news here?
What will happen to countries and continents already hit hard?
I placed this in GD mainly because this thread has potential for many branches of discussion plus the responces are more thought out and insightful than in other forums.
If the US or any other modern society were faced with such a crisis what are some theorys on the change in our society?
economicly and socially?
I am not sure what answers I seek to be truthful, but I want to ave this discussed to raise more issues and thoughts.
I leave this for you now teeming millions.
Dunno about economic or social changes, but I can tell you one thing: if the U.S. suddenly woke up one morning and realized that 1/3 of its citizens were HIV-positive, we’d be setting new Olympic speed records for finding a cure, that’s for damn sure.
That would be a real shocker. I think that AIDS testing companies’ stock would go through the roof, the biomed companies’ stock would finally stabilize, and there would be some serious government funded (and private, too) commercials dealing with sex.
In short, a whole hell of a lot would happen, but that isn’t to say life in general would be different.
My $.02
Surprises of surprises, Mr. Liddy was exaggerating.
Out of the 51 countries in Africa I have figures for (from Population Reference Bureau), 12 of them have HIV/AIDS rates below 1% (11 of the 12 have lower rates than the US).
18 are at 1-5%,
8 are at 5-10%,
8 are at 10-15%,
3 are at 15-20%
and the 2 highest AIDS rates are
Botswanna: 25.1%, and
Zimbabwe: 25.84%.
(Rates are percentage of population 15-49 yrs old).
Am I the only one that gets bothered when I hear people casually speak of “Africa” without paying any attention to the vast differences in the countries? It’s just ridiculous to speak of 1 out of 3 in Africa have HIV when the rate in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius, and Reunion are all below a tenth of 1%. Limiting the statement to “1 out of 3 in Subsaharan Africa” is much more accurate (while individual country rates are all below that, collectively it comes close due to population differences).
yes I gathered he would exagerate.
But the Idea of 33%.
Would the low-grade fear and hate caused by being uneducated cause a rash of hate crimes?
The dating scene would change.
what else? anyone able to elaborate on possible outcomes?
even if we did have the same rate as some of africa as it is currently, would it finally cause we as a people to get more invloved?
A rash of hate crimes upon learning the “fact” that 1/3 of your countrymen are HIV-positive? Why would such a thing happen? It’s not as though AIDS in Africa is considered a “gay” thing like it is in the U.S… (Most AIDS cases in Africa are heterosexual.)
well considering 25% I would guess that they arent all homosexual:)
I think if people suddenly learned that they would deny it. Because theres no reason for it to happen in america like it did in africa.
If you could point certain races out and say “they have higher amounts of aids” then sure there will be hate crimes by people who suddenly are afraid and would feel like they have nothing to lose.
Hate would be the wrong word I guess.
I live in alabama and some of the individuals still have not given up the civil war. They have quite ignorant views towards AIDS as well.
In this area I have seen resturants avoided because it was rumored someone was HIV positive in the kitchen.
It would not suprise me the lesser informed would take on a “Us vs Them” mentality. Maybe living here as long as I have in contact with the people I have been in I am to cynical towards the good nature of the masses.
“One must bear in mind, however, that prevalence rates do not convey people’s lifetime risk of becoming infected and dying of AIDS. In the eight African countries
where at least 15% of today’s adults are infected, conservative analyses show that AIDS will claim the lives of around a third of today’s 15-year-olds.”
(December 2000 Report. Pg 11.)
Some countries have even a higher percentage. One in particular, Rwanda I believe, has an epidemic that will kil 90% of the 15 year olds in that country if it continues along the same scale.
One of the more admirable things our Presidential administration has done is to declare AIDS in Africa to be a threat to national security. It will be even more admirable if this actually spurs something to be done about it.
I don’t want to generalize with “Africa” or even “sub-Saharan Africa”, but which country or region is it where a big problem is the infection rate in children, specifically girls?
It was my understanding that in some areas, men with AIDS believe that having sex with a virgin will cure them of the disease, and so they are raping younger and younger girls to insure virginity.
I don’t remember if this was supported by the facts or disproved.
I just heard this morning that a CDC survey found:
[ul][li]Four out of 10 mistakenly believe it is possible to get the disease by sharing a drinking glass or being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person.[/li]
[li]Nearly 19 percent of those surveyed said they agreed with the statement, “People who got AIDS through sex or drug use have gotten what they deserve.”[/li]
[li]The survey found that those with more knowledge about how the virus is spread were less inclined to agree with the statement.[/li]
[li]Between 800,000 and 900,000 Americans have been infected with HIV.[/ul][/li]
So much to do, so little time…
A cure for AIDS/HIV is not wholly the answer.
If a treatment was announced tommorow it would not arrive in time for many and in many countries, not just African nations either,I would be cynical enough to suggest that it would be too expensive.
One country that is slowly learning the lessons is Uganda which had, at one time, an infection rate of around 30% but this has fallen to near 15%.
It has learned the hardest way with around 1.7 million AIDS orphans.
Unlike other nations President Musoveni has not only publicly aknowledged the disease but has delclared it a state of national emergency.
The efforts of virtually all those in a position of respect from tribal leaders, religious leaders, teachers and the medical profession have been harnessed.
Not many countries, I would imagine, where even a Bishop will announce that he has the disease.(Rev Gideon Byamugisha)He is considered by some Ugandans to be nothing short of a national hero.
Contrast this with, say, China which has introduced HIV testing for foreigners and does not acknowledge that there is any problem or Russia where workers in the sex industry are traded into Eastern Europe and all you can say is that the African has a great deal to teach us.
It’s really difficult to compare parts of Africa to the USA in this situation. Lapses in American public education regarding HIV pale in comparison to general knowledge of AIDS in some parts of Africa. Problems (in some parts) include a general cultural unwillingness to talk about HIV and transmission, no infastructure, and failure to admit that the disease actually exists.
There are over 11 million AIDS orphans on the continent. I believe that current thought reflects the idea that those who have it are doomed no matter what, and the entire effort must focus on prevention for the younger generations- many of whom are starting to contract the virus.
I have to agree with the statement ‘People who get AIDS through sex or drug use get what they deserve’ with the exception of people who practiced safe sex but had the condom break. We know what spreads the disease, and if you do dangerous things and get hurt, it’s your own damn fault.
Hey, Badtz- are you aware that many people in Africa are not aware that sexual contact causes AIDS?
So you’re saying that anyone who gets AIDS from sex hit what they head for? :rolleyes: I should tell that to some of my friends who are positive. “Gee, I’m sorry that your boyfriend lied to you about his sexual history, but you got what you deserved.” “You were drunk? No excuse. Enjoy your drawn out death.” “Don’t complain to me! You’re 15, you’ve taken health class!”
Come on. Nobody wakes up and says, “Well, I’m going to go get HIV today.” You’re being far too simplistic.
It’s a tough world, and if you aren’t careful bad things can happen to you. I just don’t see how I can feel sorry for someone who did something stupid and got themselves sick when there are people who have had worse things happen to them through no fault of their own. How is it NOT your fault if you get AIDS from IV drugs or unprotected sex? Oh, your boyfriend got AIDS from cheating on you? Why aren’t you using a condom with him? About the only excuse I can see that’s plausible is if the couple is trying to have a kid and one of them has cheated. That does suck, but shit happens.
Yes, a lot of people in Africa don’t believe you get it from sex, but most of them have been told that, they just refuse to believe it. Evolution in action.
