RE: Uganda passing law that allows them to put homosexuals to death.
November 16, 2012 at 8:36 am
(November 16, 2012 at 3:23 am)Daniel Wrote: Nothing is more important or will work better than behavioural change. This starts with education about HIV and STI's, and HIV testing. They need to be made aware that being promiscuity is dangerous, even with condom use, and that they still need to get regularly tested for STI's even if they're using condoms. They also need to be made aware that condoms offer little to no protection unless they are used religiously.
However, many Africans don't want to be tested for HIV. In places where the anti-retroviral drugs are very expensive or difficult to obtain, being diagnosed as HIV positive is a death sentence. People who are known to be HIV positive are often shunned and ostracized. The vast majority of Africans aren't able to simply pop into the local pharmacy to pick up their meds, not that they could afford them in the first place. A lot of people travel long distances (many on foot) and face long waits just to be seen by a doctor.
Again, Africa is not Western. They have virtually nothing that resembles an infrastructure (roads, transportation, or hospitals/medical facilities) like we have in industrial and post-industrial countries, especially outside of major cities. Attempting to tackle the problem of AIDS in Africa from a decidedly Western point of view, isn't going to help anyone. That's what has pretty much been done up to this point, and the rate of infection is just now starting to level off in most countries. And what about the societal and economic impact of these countries that have 30+% of infection rates? They have lost virtually all their young-adult to middle-aged people. In some areas there's no one left except for the elderly and the kids, so who is going to work to support the family when both parents are dead from AIDS?