Yesterday's The Times, newspaper had a long article about AIDS in South Africa. Every now and then we hear stories that the fight against AIDS is being won, but the figures tell a different story. On one side of the story was this table below.
HIV PREVALENCE
HIV PREVALENCE BY AGE. 2010
- 30- to 34- year olds: 42.6% (40.4% 2008)
- 35 - 39 year olds: 38.4% (32.4% 2008)
- 40 - 44 year olds 38.4% (23.3% 2008)
- 45 - 49 year olds 28.2% (17.6% 2008, 23.9% 2009)
HIV PREVALENCE IN 2010 BY PROVINCE
- KwaZuluNatal: 39.5%
- Mpumalanga: 35.1%
- Free State: 30.6%
- Eastern Cape: 29.9%
- North West: 29.5%
- Limpopo: 21.9%
- Western Cape: 18.5%
- Northern Cape: 18.4%
- The Umgungundlovu and Ilembe districts in KwaZuluNatal has an HIV prevalence of 42.3% - the worst in the country.
- The Central Karoo District has the lowest HIV prevalence at 8.5%. (The Times, November 30/ 2011. www.timeslive.co.za
This table above starts with 30 year olds, but children as young as 12 - 13 are being infected, not to talk about babies born with it!
Winning the fight against HIV? Pull my other leg!
But sex is one of our human rights, right? It's your right to have sex willy nilly. It's also a natural need, like food and water, and you should treat it as such, hungry, you eat, thirsty, have something to drink, feel like sex, jump into bed with someone, anyone. Some even claim that if you don't have regular sex you might end up with psychological problems, or even get physically ill.
You're definitely considered a nut case if you're not screwing like a rabbit. (excuse my language, but I get really angry when I see what's happening here). All the result of the Humanist attitude, "if it feels right just do it".
4 comments:
The statistics show dismal information and it is very sad. However I don't want your readers to think that all HIV is caused by having sex willy nilly. There are other causes like blood transmission and transmission through pregnancy. Also one has to look and address the factors behind the sex and make it easier for people to protect themselves if they are going to have sex (e.g. free condoms despite our religious thoughts on this).
In North America one of the fastest areas of growth in HIV is middle aged people who are looking for love after divorce, widowhood, etc. and having unprotected sex. Another area is men who come home to their wives after contracting HIV (probably unknowingly) and transmitting to their wives who have no idea what their husbands have been up to.
Hi Joy,
I agree with you that not all HIV infection is caused by willy nilly sex. But here in SA I think it is. Mother to child transfere has been reduced drastically by new treatments. Our blood transfusion service has a very strict and effective screening process. It's been many years since any one here has been infected by bad blood. The main cause here is just plain old promiscuity.
No one can claim ignorance as to how HIV infection takes place any more. Condoms are freely available at all hospitals and clinics.
Those are some pretty scary statistics. But you're right, people think with what's between their legs and not what's between their ears.
Mark
Thanks for the updated information Phillip. I do hope people will avail themselves of the free condoms. More education seems to be needed. Even here they do a lot of education and there is still a lot of unprotected sex. People get strange ideas about what works and what doesn't it seems. For example, the older set doesn't think they are vulnerable. Of course, you can't blame women for thinking they are safe when they are married and not fooling around. I feel very sorry for those ones and for young ones who aren't yet mature enough to realize what they are doing.
Post a Comment