December 1st was declared World AIDS Day in 1986, to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS among the masses. This year’s theme is Universal Access and Human Rights. To share some statistics:
- According to UNAIDS, in 2008, over two million children under the age of 15 were diagnosed HIV positive. That was just children alone.
- An approximate 33.4 million people (including children) around the world are living with AIDS. It has to be noted there are still many who are unaware of this hence this number can be much higher.
- 7.400 people all over the world are diagnosed HIV positive daily.
- Close to 4 million of the diagnosed individuals receive treatment and 9.7 million go unnoticed.
- After the South Africa and Nigeria, India ranks 3rd in playing host to a population of 2 million being diagnosed HIV positive. And this gets worse, it ranks 2nd when it comes to the number of people who die from it due to lack of treatment.
- After Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia has the highest number of AIDS patients and India accounts for more than half of them.
- More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.
- Globally, around 11% of HIV infections are among babies who acquire the virus from their mothers; 10% result from injecting drug use; 5-10% are due to sex between men; and 5-10% occur in healthcare settings. Sex between men and women accounts for the remaining proportion – around two thirds of new infections.
Universal Access of treatment to all HIV infected individuals is what this year’s AIDS commemoration day is all about. According to World AIDS Campaign, for every 5 people who are infected, only two gets treated. Such a situation is not very encouraging.
Universal access is a global commitment to scale up access to HIV treatment, prevention, care and support. The movement, enshrined in the 2006 UN Political Declaration, is led by countries worldwide with support from UNAIDS and other development partners including civil society. – Courtesy of UNAIDS
Many participating nations will up their systems and undertake new measures to improve the quality of life for HIV positive individuals.
Another part of this theme is Human Rights. Some corners of the world still house people whose voices have yet to be heard. On many accounts, with relation to AIDS, some women still do not have a say on their sexual and reproductive rights. This plays an integral role in the growth of widespread AIDS. With regard to Human Rights the UN Secretary General also reported that in many nations, the access to HIV treatment is heavily limited or in some cases highly inaccessible as it does not comply with the respective nations’ laws. And this further emphasizes the need for Universal Access to HIV treatments to reduce the growth.
Human Rights is extremely important as over 50 countries still restrict its entry of HIV positive individuals taking away their personal right to freedom and job opportunity. This has to change. Even the stigma following AIDS is as rampant as the illness itself. If one were to do a survey on discrimination against AIDS individuals, the numbers will reveal a lot about the mentality of the society. Not in a good way of course.
AIDS was an epidemic, is an epidemic. And will still be, if changes are not made.
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“AIDS was an epidemic, is an epidemic. And will still be, if changes are not made.”
What changes are you talking about?
*whistle*
hey! I got a ‘thumbs down’!
Sweet!
How dare ! :p
Nah, I meant “long time, no see!”
heeehee God sends this thumps down to keep us levelled in ground
I know for sure ‘this one above’ was not given by God.
;
Changes that include awareness about safe sex, female sexual rights, and many more that I might have missed…Changes that would ensure that AIDs victims do not take a back seat, the illness itself should not be disregarded and treatment or preventive measures should reach all….
PS: I bet God will let you know before he gives you thumbs down
Thanks for the comments though Ambi
Aiding AIDS victims (is victim even correct in some cases?) is all good and fine… but do we know what is the root cause and how to root it out?
Let me put it this way: if you put your hand in a fire, you will get your hand burnt. The solution for this is simply “Don’t put your hand in the fire!”… not wearing fire proof gloves and THEN put it inside the fire.
I hope I make sense…
*yawn* Need to get some sleep.
There wouldn’t have been much hulabalu about it if only it had a cure. Hence the solution -Don’t put your hand in fire
The point is “why put your hands in the fire?”…
That people, and our ‘famous’ scientists, are hell bent on finding a cure instead of addressing the reason why this disease spreads is unfortunate.
in the hype of commercial epidemics like bird flu and swine flu we seem to have put to backburner the killer AIDS. with so many cases going untreated and so unattended the epidemic would again strike back…
and imagine a scenario if AIDS virus starts spreading thru’ the air….what precaution then?
My two pence: I wholeheartedly agree with spreading awareness n universal access to treatment. But people’s reactions to the affected must also change… Like the swine flu, the media blew everything about AIDS out of proportion to the extent that people fear to come near, hold hands or kiss the patients. Steps shd be taken to make ppl aware of the true facts abt the disease n rid them of unnecessary fear. everything is so unclear abt AIDS. hope u understood what I meant!
Yeah.. I did
Did Media really ruin things? >.< I think they tried to clear the existing misinterpretations that you mentioned about the illness.
And that's why Human Rights is addressed this year to avoid further discrimination against those affected.
Thanks for your comments though
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8272113.stm
is the closest we’ve got so far to an effective vaccine…
Trying to address the symptoms while leaving the root cause of the problem untouched… do we even know the root cause?
@ambi do you have a problem with scientists finding a cure for it. U are going on about the .’root cause’.what exactly are you getting at? In one of your comment u had also mentioned about it being the victim’s fault sometimes. Fine! Maybe it is. So what do we do? Prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of the population and leave the rest to die. Come on, these are humans we are speaking of,not zombies from Resident Evil
I didn’t you should find a cure or a vaccine… but what use they will be if you do not address the root causes?
Do you think its alright for people to be drug addicts, sharing needles, having sex with anything that moves and spread the ‘cheer’? People also drink and smoke knowing very well it is hazardous to their health… are they ‘victims’ if they get some kind of cancer?
You must address their tendency to get in to these kind of habits in the first place, no? Why not address the reason why people turn to these things?
There might be a small percentage of people who might have become infected for no fault of theirs… treat them, cure them… no problem. But I saw some video on youtube, where guys who know they are AIDS infected, rape girls just to spread it. You expect me to have sympathy for those guys? Sorry ma’am… I am not that ‘saintly’.
And don’t bloody expect the scientists to just hand over ‘the cure’ if they find it. Money matters.
Whatever the case be, we cannot discriminate by their lifestyle. Yes I agree the root cause should be addressed but finding the cure is the priority. We dont raise a brow about hepatitis b, syphillis, gonorrhoea- even they are the by product of a decadent lifestyle. Why? Simply because they have a cure. And regarding the monetary factor of the cure. Fine. So what? At least we will have a cure.
“we cannot discriminate by their lifestyle.”
Really?? So, we would rather have some thing like AIDS festering but we should keep mum on ‘lifestyles’ which form the root cause, however decadent they might be? This is all simply lip service… just pseudo-equality talk, born out of side tracks of moral relativism.
“but finding the cure is the priority.” “And regarding the monetary factor of the cure. Fine. So what? At least we will have a cure.”
Going by your logic, because we have cures for all the other STDs and such you have mentioned, its ok to indulge in such nonsense. This is exactly what I was talking about. “Don’t worry… go ahead, spoil yourself, you have a cure… just Rs. XXXX per injection”… this is what you are proposing?
Please don’t feel that I am targeting you…
I may not be at your level on literary skills nor your ‘compassionate’ outlook… but to go by your thoughts (which I am sure is shared by oh-so-many people) in practice is like an elephant taking a bath. Good luck on trying to ‘prevent’ or ‘eradicate’ AIDS with that.
When I meant by nondiscrimination, I was just saying irrespective of how they get infected, they are infected. That is the greater concern.period. I am a bloody medic. What should I do? Preach or treat? You are going on about addressing the root cause and damning all other suggestion. Fine ! We are open to it. At least put it forward instead of summoning all your energy against other opinions or suggestions.
“When I meant by nondiscrimination, I was just… Preach or treat?”
BOTH. It is the DUTY of a doctor to make an attempt to ensure the patient is cured of the disease fully… as well as AT LEAST make an attempt to ensure he or she goes back as a transformed person who knows what is good and what is bad.
“You are going on about addressing the root cause… summoning all your energy against other opinions or suggestions.”
Try this. In an epidemic, it is normal for doctors to think “How did this disease occur? what are the ways this disease can spread? How did it come in to a epidemic form? What do you think one should do to stop the disease from spreading?”
Now, think. Is this line of reasoning any different from what I have put forth?
In any epidemic, finding a cure is not the first priority (may be a parallel priority), Doctor madam… but containing the infection IS. Any health administration guy worth his salt would tell you this.
Damning all other suggestions? … but what suggestions have been given here that are helpful for the common man? Safe sex, female sexual rights… what is THAT? Cure is required, vaccine is required… everyone is talking the same thing… The Problem. I merely stated this one sided, superficial approach WILL backfire.
Open to ideas, eh? Do us a favor, Mani.
As a doctor, please oblige and list down the answers to the questions as in my previous comment, with respect to AIDS.
1) How did this disease occur?
2) What are the ways this disease can spread?
3) How did it come in to a epidemic form? 4) What do you think one should do to stop the disease from spreading?
Ambi do you think nothing has been tried to contain the epidemic? Do you think we dont try rehabilating them, educating them? You know why i stress on cure? Because i have seen them dying. Because i have seen the fear and hopelessness in their eyes when we tell them they have it. Because i have seen their kids…everybody are tryin their best according to their own thought process and capacity to help and provide suggestions. NGOs, educating sex workers, free treatment and follow up,rehabilatation,counselling,stricter NDPS laws.bringing awareness in every quarters from laymen to healthworker. But you are satisfied with no one’s opinion. Not usha’s, nor P&As,nor aneet’s and God! When i uttered cure- all hell broke loose. Maybe these arent enough and you have a better idea. Hey thats great! So tell us. When you are stressing on root cause you must be having a plan to tackle it. So share it.we will be happy to lap it up. I mean why are you prolonging saying about it? And another, please can we call it a truce after we hear out your opinion, because my finger are paining with all the typin on my phone. Please!
I have seen this kinda desperation before… from RC and Sharat.
“But you are satisfied with no one’s opinion. Not usha’s, nor P&As,nor aneet’s and God! ”
I handle my comments on my own terms. If people don’t like it, too bad. I don’t want to get in to personal level on this discussion… but if you want take that tone with me, feel free. You are free to express anything you want, Doc. But don’t expect that everyone has to come to a compromise ‘just because’… ok?
Btw, am curious… what would you know, or I don’t know, about God’s opinion on this one? Hmm?
I had requested you, as a professional doctor, to lay out the answers to the questions, because I thought we can logically proceed towards an understanding, for everyone’s benefit. But seems like it is not to be so.
Why is it that I am expected to put forth solutions… like spoon feeding? People can’t think on their own? If people can’t go beyond established line of thoughts, I can’t help it.
You appeal to pity… that we have in lots, but only that. What about solutions? Educate sex workers? Why not stop them from being so? Use condoms, safe sex? Don’t share needles… WTH? These are not ‘solutions’!!
If you say the current scenario is the best we can do, you are wrong. We have to do the needful, not just our best.
LR has finally got the essence of it. The only cure that will be effective is change in people, their habits and lifestyle. Don’t get in to drugs, don’t f**k around with anyone and everyone, be chaste (in both cases)… change the people, not by giving them free condoms or free treatment or class room teachings on “How to have safe sex”… Give them knowledge of what they are going to lose if they don’t change… give them the means to lead a moral, spiritual life.
As a famous General once said, “Battle plans don’t survive the battle field”. When you see a strategy not working, you MUST change to an effective one. What we have now is NOT effective. Rather its more detrimental in the long run and we are just groping blind in the dark if we cannot see it coming! That is my stand point.
Don’t use your mobile for browsing. But, hey, you the doc… you know better!
No more comments on this article from me.
Sigh! Since you pointed out that the q’s remains unanswered. Here they are-1/ one of the theories that exist is from monkeys. 2/From body fluids 3/well the answer is obvious 4/What should one do to contain the epidemic. That has been said already from different viewpoints. You are suggesting a change in lifestyle. Chaste lifestyle.Yes! Thats a good suggestion one which is advocated in not only AIDS but also in hypertension cancer diabetes. But Do you think this has not been done? By education that is the first thing one means.Which organisation say use drugs but dont share needles? People have been propagating against drug abuse even before AIDS.Do you think any decent person encourages prostitution? But there are certain practical hurdles in completely eradicating the social evils. Prostitution is not the oldest profession for nothing.drugs ,sex- They are fueled by persons Who are not reading these nor will they read. They are not someone who will listen to us over a cup of coffee. Only lion hearts can deal with them and this is the reason we have to think about the 2nd course of action of free condoms, safe sex and free treatment. Hey ambi ,this is nothing personal yaar. Why do you take it otherwise?i really admire your brilliance and sense of humor. If ths hadnt been about AIDS I wouldnt have dared to cross your path.
. So truce? And this isnt a compromise or desperation ok? Its a gc member calling out to a fellow member for some peace pipe. Oops ! Peace tea. 
Discussions brings the best of both sides! Wow ! Quiet entertaining and informative debate!
As Ambi says unless we dealt with the root cause, even if we find a cure for AIDS , tomorrow we may find AIDS Mutant variety and the battle will be fought again and people dying again. Its an never ending battle unless we work on the root cause of such diseases that starts from the minds of people.
And as a Doc , Ya mani has a point too. When one is in a battle field the soldier will be worried about fighting the battle and end it for that time period rather than worrying at that time what started the war and if the war is morally right or not …
Is this what they say storm in a tea cup ? lol but nice discussion i must say