Short Critical Summary

HIV and AIDS are spreading too fast for some countries to handle. throughout my posts, there is a common theme of too many people becoming infected and too many risks that cause the spread of the virus. It seems that for all the spread of the disease and virus, little is being done to fight and stop the spread. A cure seems far from reach and while there are many organizations and countries are fighting hard against the virus and its spread but it seems that the global response and even local response is not what it should be. In Africa, the virus is a pandemic, and some of the governments are trying hard to fight it any way they can but others are still acting with ignorance and saying that the spread is not caused the way that it acutally is. AIDS has proven to be a huge problem in poorer countries and it is spreading to other countries other than just those in Africa. In my blog i wrote about how the virus has krept into the streets of Iraq and Khazkstan. In some African countries 1 in every 3 men are said to have AIDS or HIV, while AIDS prevention organizations refuse to sell condoms and believe that abstence works better. Of course it works better but it is not realistic. This is the problem, the actual problem is far worse than the response. Condoms and circumcision are two proven ways to help cut the risk of the spread, but the people that are "helping" in the fight are doing it the way they want to and not the way that will get the most results.
I believe that if a global realization and response is not taken then the countries that are plagued with the virus are doomed to fall into a even lower state of health and living. I also believe that because of the negligence in most countries in the world, the virus will spread and become a big problem to even the strongest countries in the world. I am saying that this could become a problem for the entire world, for anyone who has sex or is born. Something really needs to be done otherwise it will just get worse and spread, like a disease in the body, to the rest of the world. Precautions must be taken or we may all be doomed, or atleast our children or their children.
The commenting process did not seem to helpful. The commenter either agreed or disagreed with me, but my topic was AIDS so the comments did not get to controversial because everyone seemed to agree that it is a problem and it is terrible. To be honest I thought the comment were a bit of a waste of time because no real conversations were really started amongst my group no matter how hard we tried. People didn't even start commenting until the last day anyways so it ended up just being another hoop to jump through for a grade. But, because i had to read other blogs I did learn a thing or two about Darfur and the Iraq War which did help my understanding of what was going on in class a bit better.

Follow up on Iraq

This is a follow up on my recent post about the spread of the virus and disease to Iraq. According to Carlotta Gall of the New York Times, in her article "A New Sorrow for Afghanistan: AIDS Joins List" published on March 19 2007, the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus is definite. Recently the virus was said to only be known as underground but now the waring nation has realized that this too may be another problem added to their already heavy load. With only 69 people diagnosed or known to have the disease ever in the country, the number has almost doubled in the last few days because more sick people have been tested for it and more people are realizing that this may be another problem they must face in the country. This could mean trouble if it begins to break out rapidly among the people. Fighting a war and AIDS seems like fighting a pretty hopeless a losing battle. I just hope that one of the two problems solves itself quickly so the other one can be focused on.

NJ makes testing a must

According to the Washington Posts arictle "N.J. Eyes HIV Tests for Moms, Newborns" published on March 22 2007, it is possible that New Jersey will become the first state in the US to require both pregnant woman and newborns to be tested for HIV. The proposal is being pushed by an influetial lawmaker in Trenton New Jersey, Senate President Richard J Codey. The legislations will require the testing unless the mother specifially chooses "in writing" to reject the test. According to the Kaiser Foundation "four states _ Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas _ require health care providers to test a mother for HIV, unless the mother specifically asks not to be tested." New York and Connecticut are the only current states that test all newborns.

I think this is a good idea and feel that because it is not harmful or time consuming all the states should adopt this policy of testing. I'm glad a state is stepping up and making it a requirement i just hope the rest begin to follow suit.

Kazakhstan now has more than hate for Borat

According to the Washington Post's article, Number of Kazakh Children With HIV 96" published on March 15 2007, the HIV virus has made its way into yet another country. The number of children in southern Kazakhstan has reached 96. This outbreak is blamed on doctrors' negligence. 13 mothers were also said to have contracted the virus. This occured through injections or blood transfusions at hospitals in the city of Shymkent, 1000 miles south of the capital. Eight of these children have already died from the disease. The government has began testing thousands of mothers and children that may be at risk of having or contracting HIV. A nationwide inspection has revealed many cases of "incompetence and corruption among doctors and nurses." 21 of these doctors are being accused of causing the outbreak and are going on trial in Shymkent.

Think it is horrible that AIDS is slowly taking anothjer country but I am impressed that the government is blaming people who deserve blame and that it is finding other people at risk to keep the outbreak to a minimum.

Schools on HIV and AIDS

According to the article "A Range of Policies" published by the Washington Post on Sunday March 18 2007, different states are required to inform students differently on HIV and AIDS. Schools throughout the country are handling the teaching of safe sex and spread of the HIV virus differently. If Arizona schools chcoose to teach about sexual orientation and homosexuality in health ed classes then they have to be in a facutal manner and not promote a "homosexual lifestyle" or portray homosexuality as a alternative life style or suggest that some sex methods are safer than tohers. In Oklahoma schools are required to educate HIV and AIDS prevention education and teach the different ways, like homosexual activity and drug use are the leading causes of the spread of the viruses. To be honest I believe that the schools should all teach some sort of AIDS and HIV prevention and be honest about what acutally helps prevent the problem, like condoms. I think it is crap that schools get in trouble for teaching safe sex intead of abstince. If it saves lives, im for it.

Another problem for Afghanistan

Accotrding Carlotta Gall of the New York Times in her article "Silently, AIDS Comes to Afghanistan" which was published on March 18, AIDS has found its way into Afghanistan. AIDS and HIV remained outside of Afghanstan for a long time during the strict Islamic rule of the Taliban and the two prior decades of war. Now it is slowly creeping into the country among the people. The artcle tells about a man whose son has the sickness and whose wife died only 4 months ago from it. Reports and studies say that Afghanistan had only 69 cases of AIDS and three deaths in the past but experts argue that the number is dangerously wrong due to the difficulty of taking the surveys and there credibiltiy. The infection seems to remain underground and is "shrouded in ignorance and stigma as the government struggles with the help of American and Nato forces to rebuild the country in the face of a new offensive by Taliban insurgents". It is beleived that the number of infected is now roughly 1000 to 2000 afghans.

I think this could prove to be a big problem for the country. With the war and reconstruction going on little aid and attention could be paid to health and AIDS problems which could mean lots of pain and trouble for the infected peopel and the people at risk of infection.

Use It and You May Lose It

A few posts back i summarized an article that explained that circumcision can cut the risks of becoming infected with the HIV virus in half. Well According to Donald McNeil of the New York Times in his article "Healing: A Caveat on Circumcision as AIDS Prevention" published on March 13 of 2007, circumscion can have a negative effect on others. It is still said that circumcision still helps protect a man from catching the AIDS virus but it doesn't work in preventing spreading it to others. If a man becomes infected with the virus and then becomes circumcised, he should refraim from sex until he has fully healed. Otherwise the risk of spreading the virus to his partner is greater. It is proven that women who had sex with recently circumcised men who didnt wait to heal were at a higher risk of catching the virus.