HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
May 25, 2007 Human Immuno-deficiency Virus and its chronic devastating sister Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a global pandemic that's threatening to decimate the world population. Quite unlike any other pandemic in the history of the universe HIV/AIDS seeks to reduce mankind's population through a syndrome whose medication or antidote is yet to be satisfatorily located and produced. Besides tales of fantasy of discovery of its drugs here and there with some mischief makers using same as both fame-making device or outright deceptive '419' stunt the medicine capable of dealing with AIDS has thus far become a battle yet to be won by scientists and immunologists. The challenge therefore thrown at humanity in general to confront AIDS and conquer its widespread tentacles through effective treatment is yet to be overcome. The true origin of HIV/AIDS still remains a mystery but we all know that a semblance of the deadly disease was first noticed and reported in America decades ago. Ever since its horrible discovery millions upon millions of people had died and still dying from its spread. HIV/AIDS discrimates not against victims as young babies are snatched away at birth or at a tender age if their mothers were infected with the virus at pregnancy. Men and women, boys and girls, blacks and whites are daily falling victims to this 21st century plague at great numbers. Here in Africa HIV/AIDS finds more victims and number of those afflicted. With poverty and underdevelopment in health infrastructures our burden the infectious holocaust seems to have left its originating nation of America to come reside here with us! In many African countries especially South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Botswana and many others the terrifying malady has been having a field day sending many to their graves without any warning. The statistics are as staggering as they are frightening! Africa is bearing the brunt of HIV/AIDS and more and more people are allowing themselves to be taken away six feets below. In a continent where enlightenment and orientation are at their lowest ebb, where taboos and other cultural/customary spells are still holding sway nothing less was expected. Statistically it is known from concerned global medical sources that there exists approximately about 40 million HIV/AIDS patients around the world. But the unfortunate thing is that 30 million of these cases are found in sub-saharan African countries. And it is worth reporting here that in West Africa Cote D'Ivoire is ahead followed closely by Nigeria. A good friend of mine here, a randy compatriot whose mother is Igbo and father Yoruba once told me that he did not believe in AIDS but rather he believes in late Fela Kuti's definition of same as: "American Idea to Destroy Sex". The guy who maintains chains of girlfriends with whom he has sexual intercourse without the use of condom boasted once to me that sex is the greatest thing God created on earth! When I reminded him that Fela was certified to be killed by AIDS he laughed heartily shrugging off the idea that AIDS killed Fela. Due to its extra sensitive nature the issues of sex and romance in Africa is very secretive; it's not made to be open by the strenght of our forefathers' beliefs and primitivism. Today you can still see families where discussions centering on HIV/AIDS are frowned upon and treated as taboos or no-go-areas. The South African and Gambian Presidents' dimensions to this dangerous disease is worthy of analysis here. Thabo Mbeki is known the world over to hold contrary opinion about AIDS which runs counter to global efforts to stem the spread of the pandemic. His AIDS apathy is informed by his irrational stance that AIDS kills only poor Africans who cannot afford good food and other basic needs of life. Also he has advocated the 'African roots' treatment for AIDS refusing to acknowledge the huge human impact the dreaded virus is having in South African society. His weird position has provoked angry responses of the West especially WHO who sees Mbeki's irresponsible ideological distance from the reality of AIDS as not helping matters at all. President Mbeki whose alleged membership of "the Satan Church" in South Africa made his jaundiced skewed views on AIDS look like a script written and handed over to him by the grostesquely satanic brotherhood. His health minister holds same "AIDS has a lot to do with poverty" views defending her positions in different fora all over the world and exposing Africans to global ridicule. It is in his South Africa, the Mandela-land where recent reports had it that women with AIDS infection now go about 'raping' men! According to the report: “The rapists are AIDS infected prostitutes. They are angry that men have given them the disease and have decided to give it back to them”. In a situation as grave as this HIV/AIDS is bound to take away many more from us. Ditto President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia. Jammeh came to power in Banjul after overthrowing the former dictator Sir Dauda Jawara whose merry-go-round government was axed while Jawara was cruising on the Atlantic ocean in a special holiday ship with his mistresses on board. Though unlike Mbeki President Jammeh believes in the existence of HIV/AIDS he nevertheless believes it is curable though miracles administered by no other than himself. Transforming himself into an emergency 'doctor' or 'AIDS specialist' Jammeh assembles those with cases of AIDS in Banjul and with handgloves and full doctor's uniform attempts to 'heal' them through prayers to his god! This bizzare situation has left AIDS specialists and those whose duty it is to define AIDS and how it attacks mocking this African presidential medical hubris; sometimes one is bound to conclude that both Mbeki and Jammeh are playing politics with HIV/AIDS. Here in Abidjan the Gbagbo administration knew from onset the devastating impact of AIDS with high percentage afflicting soldiers and policemen so he created a seperate ministry supervised by a competent woman biologically related to the first lady for solutions to its ravage. Besides one of the state TV stations here presents a weekly sensitization programme captioned "Miel Mortel" which means in English "Mortal Honey" produced by a Nigerian Gabriel Okoronkwo of PEMA fame here and presented by a Nigerian combination of brain and beauty Adaora Okoli whose fluency and command of French language having been born and schooled here is nothing but a mark of professionalism and sound competitive spirit of the Nigerian. But back home the Obasanjo militocracy cannot be said to have given much to fighting this global serious health threat. The ministry of health's programmes and policies against the spread of the killer disease is at best confusing and less effective. More efforts, resources and devotion ought to be deployed to tackling HIV/AIDS especially when one views it against the backdrop of the ingenuity of our women in the Italian pimping world and the Diaspora dimension. Much as one tends to agree to some extent that poverty and the African general situation of underdevelopment has certain things to do with the prevalence of AIDS cases in Africa the connection between poverty and AIDS has not been scientifically proven beyond reasonable doubt to warrant definite conclusions by anybody. Though AIDS attacks from different health angles manifesting various degrees of ailments at the fullest of its development I believe good diet and other medical attention required could stall its rapid development in the immune system preventing it to kill the immune system thereby reducing the carrier to instalmental piece-meal death. AIDS is real and I have seen those that are HIV positive and those claimed by the pandemic; so whoever is telling whoever that the syndrome is not existing or that a foreign government is using it as a strategy to stiffle the joy of sex is not normal. Yielding to such fantasy is the height of rascality. The problem is that AIDS claims to be a 'friendly' disease which does not kill instantly but gives the victim many years before its full-blown effect could be felt after systematically eroding the immune system and rendering them deficient. The search for the globally recognised cure for AIDS continues unabated while the pandemic continues its streak of horror. As long as man fails to conquer AIDS we are all vulnerable because despite attempts to be beyond its reach sexually sex is not the only way one could contact the disease. Ordinary blood transfusion or contact with a victim's saliva is enough to render one prostrate with heavy stigma which AIDS conveys. More public enlightenment, sensitization campaigns and protective mechanisms should be deployed to tame the spread of HIV/AIDS and save humanity from immolation. ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
