July 08, 2002
The grim realities of HIV and AIDS
By: Dennis Dames- Nassau, Bahamas.
The grim realities of HIV and AIDS are being manifested once again at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Things are expected to get worse before they get better.
For instance, it was revealed that: The spread of AIDS could wipe out a quarter of the workforces of some African nations in the next 20 years, and the conference heard research suggesting that the average life expectancy of people living in 11 African countries would drop below 40 by 2010 because of HIV/AIDS.
"By 2010, we project that life expectancies in these countries will be back to levels that have not been seen since the nineteenth century," said the U.S. Census Bureau's Karen Stanecki. The United Nations' AIDS agency warned last week that: The epidemic was still in its infancy and could kill 70 million people over the next 20 years as it spreads deeper into Asia and Eastern Europe.
Also revealed at the conference was: another study indicating that the percentage of newly diagnosed patients infected with drug-resistant forms of HIV is increasing. The effectiveness of the anti-AIDS drugs, are therefore faltering; a worrisome situation indeed.
The Caribbean is known to be the second most affected region in the world. The Bahamas is estimated to have to have a prevalence rate above 4%, and Haiti is classified as the most distressed HIV and AIDS country in the neighborhood.
In the United States of America, a study showed that -- 75% of infected young gay and bisexual men in major U.S. cities, were "unaware" that they had the AIDS virus! The only cure for the deadly HIV and AIDS now, is prevention; but who is paying attention?
Copyright ©2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008 Dennis Arthur Dames
Nassau, Bahamas