AIDS

It is World AIDS day, so I feel obligated to share some views on the subject. According to the statistics, I fit the profile of people most likely to be infected just by being from an African country. It's all over the news right now: Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest infection rates. This is one of the most politicized medical conditions ever. Have you ever heard of a World Malaria Day? I haven't. Don't know if it exists. I've had malaria multiple times, and will always remember the worst incident I had in high school. I was away from home so my Aunt T. took very good care of me. I don't know all the official stats, but I do know it's one of the main causes of death in Kenyan children under age 5. I just found a link to Unicef.

Well, back to the main topic. AIDS is very political, at the same time personal. Spicebear has covered the "Prevention is better than cure" angle well, so I won't go into that. Adults are being urged to get tested at their nearest VCT center. It makes perfect sense to know one's status. The whole idea is to find out whether you have it, then modify your behavior. Doesn't always happen that way. I've heard some people work up the courage to get tested, then never go back for results. Others find out the results, but may not modify their behavior in the ideal way, i.e. using protection, letting partners know of their status, and engaging in health-promoting behavior. I've gotten that email forward about some HIV+ person who decided to go on a spree and infect everyone around them as revenge; and when they die, they leave behind a list. I've known adults who fell ill during their prime, and the cause was whispered "AIDS." The surviving family members are often treated as pariahs as though they may pass it by just being in the same room. HIV/AIDS is not contagious! Have you ever gotten tested? Even though you know you don't have it, do you ever think "What if...."

Moving away from the personal into the scientific aspect, it's important to know the FACTS. It's important to ask the necessary questions as researchers study this virus and attempt to find a cure. It's said that one tests positive for HIV, then eventually develops full-blown AIDS and dies. There are researchers that say HIV is a harmless virus. 3 Berkely scientists: Duesberg, Koehnlein, and Rasnick wrote a paper titled "" where they challenge the HIV-AIDS hypothesis. The Chemical Bases of the various AIDS Epidemics. People diagnosed as HIV+ are usually urged to get on antiretroviral drugs (which cost a fortune) but some people refused to do so and still survived. Check out:Alive and Well

These drugs have horrible side effects. The paper above has solid references saying the drug Retrovir/AZT was originially a chemo drug (they are very toxic and suppress your immune system). It was later reintroduced into the market as an anti-HIV-AIDS drug.

Basically, scientists and researchers who question mainstream HIV/AIDS views are sidelined and not able to get their views to the public; they're not able to get most of their research funded either. This is a problem because science is about questioning. AIDS has heavily funded industries and organizations behind it: Pharmaceutical companies, govts, etc.

When it comes to HIV/AIDS in African countries, there's concern that the statistics collected are not accurate. Who is funding these studies anyway? Apparently, the data is collected from pregnant women visiting prenatal clinics. Check out Emily Oster's article.


At the end of the day, it gets personal again 'cause if you or someone you love gets sick, you'll be thinking about death and the dying process. Although you may be millions of miles away literally or figuratively, decisions made by the powers that be will affect you. I'll take a moment to remember those who have died, as well as those who still survive. And also to applaud the families and healthcare workers who give their time, energy and support to AIDS sufferers, as well as the researchers/scientists working to answer the vital questions that will affect everyone.