Why does Africa have such a big AIDS problem?

[6FULLMETALTRUCKIE9]

Oh Yea Bush Did It. Not Once Did You Hear Me Blame The President For Any Actions In That Part Of The World. Thats Your Pov. If You Ever Get The Time Look Up The Standard Of Living In Some Of The Most Diamond Producing Nations In The World And They Are Where Again??? Hows A Country That Keeps The World In Rare Stones And Jewels So Ass Backwards? To Play On Your Kkk Angle For A Bit Why Are All The Top Jewel Sellers And Buyer Jewish Then? And Why Do They Pay A Man Less Then 5 % The Real Cost For A Diamond And Then Turn Around And Sell That Same Stone He Paid Lest Than $10.00 For Around 1500 To 2 Grand And It Goes Unchecked Because He Has A Importers Limit Liability Company Permit On His Wall Then Turns Around And That Profit Gets Turned Into Guns And American Weapons At A Mark Down ?????? Oh Yea.....................................fmt

 

[chicagobuffedbod]

What I don't understand is all these celebrities like Madonna and whoever else investing all this money in the fight against AIDS. It's a waste of time since they refuse to be monogamous. I think the world should send gynecologists down there to perform tube tying on the woman after they have one child or simply opt to have no children at all and sterilize them after puberty. No, I'm not racist and I don't want to see Africans die out but there's no other way to decrease children infected with hiv from day one after birth. Let them fuck all they want. We sterilize other species in order to control the excessive birth rate. Hell, if I were African with HIV living in Africa and a doctor offered to sterilize me I'm pretty sure I'd do it.

 

[babygirl84]

I don't think there is one single issue that explains the rate of AIDS in Africa. From what little I have studied on disease in the third world, in general, be it AIDS or any other pandemic or fatal infectious disease, the combination of a lack of government resources or effective plan for disease management, poor access to health and social services, bankrupt and inept infrastructure, cultural myths, high price of drugs, inability of general population to have basic needs, use of rape in war, sex trafficking/slavery, and all of this further augmented by the effects of IMF restructuring, lack of education, and the biggest factor to have an effect on health and disease - poverty.
Additionally, when you reach a certain percentage of a given population infected with a disease that is in the very least debilitating, and quite often fatal, it creates a cycle where there is a tremendous impact on the economy and infrastructure, that it spirals down. When say 25% of an already poor country is too sick to work, and is dependent of social services and the government for healthcare, medication, few if any states would be able to handle it, let alone a developing nation. More people get ill, and the state is less and less able to deal with it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS#Economic_impact
Not to mention that in Africa, diseases like tuberculosis go hand in hand with AIDS, further crippling both victim and society.
And there are a myriad of other issues that feed into this as well. The manipulation of drug companies over intellectual rights of drugs through stipulations in the Tripps accord, corrupt dictators misusing funds, deceptive loans coming from the developed world, meddling by the World Bank, political unrest....... the list goes on and on.
http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/default.asp
Experts have a hard time untangling the web of precipitating factors to the AIDS epidemic in Africa. You are certainly not going to find the answer on this board. I suggest doing some reading, and laying off the conspiracy theories about big bad America as well as the racial and ill informed generalizations about promiscuous ignorant Africans.

 

[wlmcrae]

As well, unfortunately for the African people, there is a slight genetic component. Much of North America is derived from people of Northern European stock. That population was drastically selectively bred (accidently) in the Middle Ages for those who could survive the Black Death (plague). One of the selected genetic lines from that has led to an approximate 10% of that stock being genetically immune to AIDS, although the mechanism is definitely not understood at this point and, I believe, the exact genetic markers are still under debate. (I'll look up the study if anyone's interested.) Unfortunately, those genetics (like cystic fibrosis, Tay Sachs, hemochromatosis - also generally European) are not found in African peoples.

 

[SpyWizard]

As well, unfortunately for the African people, there is a slight genetic component. Much of North America is derived from people of Northern European stock. That population was drastically selectively bred (accidently) in the Middle Ages for those who could survive the Black Death (plague). One of the selected genetic lines from that has led to an approximate 10% of that stock being genetically immune to AIDS, although the mechanism is definitely not understood at this point and, I believe, the exact genetic markers are still under debate. (I'll look up the study if anyone's interested.) Unfortunately, those genetics (like cystic fibrosis, Tay Sachs, hemochromatosis - also generally European) are not found in African peoples.

so the phrase "time to thin the herd" is what's going on??

I see..

 

[wlmcrae]

so the phrase "time to thin the herd" is what's going on??

I see..

Ouch! No! Just that one of the adaptations to the selection pressure of the Black Death had an unintended effect in the current day in regards to AIDS. The Black Death could have been considered a cull, yes, though an unintentional one. It goes both ways though. African peoples have some genetic advantages due to the selection pressures of their milieu - sickle cell anemia is a great advantage to a population that lives with malaria. Europeans are at a great disadvantage when they move to an area with strong malaria presence.

 

[[email protected]]

Most of the industrialized world has managed to control the spread of HIV. Back in the early 80's when AIDS was discovered, we were being warned that AIDS was going to infect a large portion of the American population. I can remember people saying that in 20 years 25% of our population would be infected. The reality is that it hasn't spread anywhere close to the doomsday predictions. If we contained it, why can't Africa?

"No one cares about "black people or any other dark colored race of people!"
I will never forget the time visiting Tokyo, Japan on R&R. while in the the Marine Corps. I heard a merchant say, "We Japanese love white people!. Yes, we love the 'round eye!" Shit, being white in Japan makes you a GOD! Fucked up my whole weekend! 'And I'm part Samoan! LOL"

 

[r0han]

"No one cares about "black people or any other dark colored race of people!"
I will never forget the time visiting Tokyo, Japan on R&R. while in the the Marine Corps. I heard a merchant say, "We Japanese love white people!. Yes, we love the 'round eye!" Shit, being white in Japan makes you a GOD! Fucked up my whole weekend! 'And I'm part Samoan! LOL"

Thats right even here in India, people tend to "worship" white people, I, ON THE OTHER HAND take immense pleasure in putting them down for their uncouth, unhygienic and stupidly funny ways (which they tend to portray purposely among non-white people), so much so as to pull their leg right in front of the public. I thoroughly enjoy insulting such moronic behavior.

I remember one such couple taking photographs of poverty stricken children on the road for their "private collection" geez I enjoyed breaking their camera (actually was waiting for the "big" guy to go physical, wanted so badly to kick his ass - I was so sad the chicken did not) LOL!

Then there are those quiet decent white people who visit India, them - I leave alone!

Having less melanin does not make them better in anyways !

 

[[email protected]]

Most of the industrialized world has managed to control the spread of HIV. Back in the early 80's when AIDS was discovered, we were being warned that AIDS was going to infect a large portion of the American population. I can remember people saying that in 20 years 25% of our population would be infected. The reality is that it hasn't spread anywhere close to the doomsday predictions. If we contained it, why can't Africa?

No one actually cares of the African Race!!! ' nuff said, Stan Lee. LOL

 

[serpentnine]

But, why would a government official say things like that ("garlic, not just for vampires anymore!") when they know better? What are they thinking? What's the motivation?

Well, why do certain US presidents preach that, in order to reduce the spread of STDs, unmarried people should just quit boinking? Steps like giving young girls the HPV vaccine or teaching people to use condoms correctly do work, but funding them means admitting that, yeah, twelve-year-olds sometimes have sex and sometimes transmit STDs. Not something a good Christian wants to fess up to. So the government refrains from passing out condoms or info.

For African leaders, admitting that HIV causes AIDs, and that HIV is often spread sexually, is like admitting that there's a lively sex trade -- a big moral taboo. (In fact, the number of an individual's sexual partners in much of Africa is around the same as it is anyplace else, though, granted, the timing of them tends to differ.) So the government refrains from passing out condoms or info.

Same evil, wrongheaded thing, both motivated by misplaced morality, just on different scales.