SCIENCE & CULTURE CORNER
Aids Update
Latest figures have been tallied as HIV prepares to enter its third decade of infecting and afflicting humans. In sub-Saharan Africa the number of HIV infected people is greater than the entire population of Taiwan: some 23,000,000. Every minute of the day and night, another ten Africans become infected. In the rest of the world combined, the number is less than 10% of that.
The obvious question is why such a difference among Africans as compared with the rest of the world? The much higher rate for Africans has nothing to do with race. According to CDC Atlanta (Center for Disease Control), the problem is culture. Among South African Blacks, promiscuity is considered "manly."
Prostitution and sheer promiscuity are rampant aspects of the culture. Marital monogamy among men is virtually non-existent.
Why it is this way still, in an area where everyone has lost a friend or family member to AIDS, is unknown. One would expect people to reevaluate their dangerous habits in the face of so much resultant death, yet they do not. Not only have spouses brought the disease home, but it is forecast that 6% of all African children will die of AIDS in their first year of life (having inherited it).
The latest methods for protecting yourself remain the same as they have been all along: Choose celibacy, monogamy, or protection. HIV cannot just occur; it has to be passed from one person to another. Reckless biological contact (whether homo or heterosexual) is an invitation for trouble. If your vice comes in a needle, you already know: no sharing. Prevention is the only effective treatment.
If you need more information about protection or testing, contact an AIDS advice center near you (there is one). In Japan, call 03-3968-4073.
by Angel
Stephens
angel_stephens@hotmail.com
Angel Stephens received his degree in social science from Harvard and writes on physical science and anthropology for a number of publications. He lives in the US and may be contacted at angel_stephens@hotmail.com
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