AIDS — As I Die Slowly

As the prime human resource is obliterated and an ominous vacuum is left in the developmental structure of society, the economy also suffers a direct hit in the terminator’s murderous rampage...  Dreams, visions, aspirations and potential all perish in the peril. 

AIDS as an acronym — As I Die Slowly — to a considerable degree, testifies to the plight of the victim of this dreadful plague.  Apart from God’s miraculous intervention, AIDS means death.  It means demise, usually through a slow and tormenting process. It is a heart-rending experience to watch the average AIDS victim wither away before one’s eyes. The only experience that’s worse, is for one to be the actual victim.  To date, AIDS is quite likely the worst scourge to ever hit the human race. Perhaps the most worrying part of this extremely sad scenario is the fact that the dying process is not restricted merely to the infected individual, but the long, cold hands of mass annihilation reaches into the entire spectrum of family life.  The sweeping swing of the grim reaper refuses to spare the very future of human existence and well-being. 

Dreams, visions, hopes, aspirations and the most ambitious of plans are withered away with the perishing multitudes of future-generations human resource.  The demon of AIDS itself has, from the inception of its ruthless onslaught on the human race, embarked upon a very ambitious project.  It has, very strategically, it would seem, chosen the cream of the crop among humanity, in its predatory strike. A serious developmental crisis faces global societies as the most resourceful and productive of this planet’s inhabitants (ages 15 - 45) are snuffed out in groups and clusters, on a daily basis.  Reliable statistics tell us that we lose a frightening 8,493 of our best mortals within the space of two midnights.  This means that by the time one Sunday meets another, a colossal 59,451 prime-quality souls, loaded with potential dream, vision and other vital building blocks for the future, would have exited this planet. And, mind you, as the prime human resource is obliterated, and an ominous vacuum is left in the developmental structure of society, the economy also suffers a direct hit of the terminator’s murderous rampage.  If the economy could talk, its voice would readily join the agonising lament: “As I Die Slowly.” 

In the face of such an overwhelmingly distressing reality, could we afford to continue playing games with the matter of AIDS control and prevention?  Could any conscience-carrying, human being continue the highly devious and deadly charade of condom-pushing as a safe sex measure? Credible empirical data (as this column has listed so many times) continues to indicate that the only harvest that’s reaped from vigourous condom-pushing hype, are rapidly increasing infections.  Hats off to prominent leaders and opinion shapers who have had the character, fortitude and rectitude to stand up for the singular honest and effective recommendation (and indeed prescription) in the AIDS fight — abstinence! Here at home, apart from the church,  we have had the highly commendable and entirely uncompromising stand of our Minister of Education, Senator Hazel Manning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health,  (with Mrs Mona Rahael leading the way) embarking on a very vibrant, well-organised and fruitful “abstinence only” drive in our schools.

On an international scale, there is the mighty USA which, globally, wields the most awesome influence upon human behaviour.  We owe an enormous measure of gratitude to President George W Bush for taking a stand as fiercely non-compromising and unequivocal as Mrs Manning’s, on the “abstinence only” position.  This has also been part of Mr Bush’s faith-based initiatives which he launched, and has pursued with much fervency, from the very day of his first-term inauguration. In this respect, the born again US president has been putting his money where his mouth is, financing programmes, internationally which are involved in the HIV/AIDS fight. And as the American public recently demonstrated in the convincing mandate given to Bush in the recently US presidential election, they fully support their president in this stand. 
 

One nation which has benefited from Bush’s funding is Uganda.  This nation has the notable distinction of being the only one in the AIDS infested sub-Saharan Africa to successfully — and significantly — curb the spread of the AIDS plague.  What’s Uganda’s “magic formula?”  Its President Mr Yoweri Museveni. He clearly revealed this amazing secret to the world in the 15th International AIDS conference held in Bangkok, Thailand last July.  The big formula is nothing but the Bible-recommended abstinence! In four days, Trinidad and Tobago will join the rest of the world in observing International Aids Day.  As we so do, we are faced with the grim reality, of a ferociously deadly epidemic that is far from subsiding, despite billion-dollar efforts.
The UNAIDS Epidemic Update 2004 which was released on November 23, states that during this year an estimated 4,900,000 persons were infected with HIV. The estimated number of persons living with the virus is 39,400,000. 

This year, the theme adopted by the United Nations and WHO Aids programme (UNAIDS) is “Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS.”  Just under 50 percent of the approximately 39.4 million persons living with HIV/AIDS are female. In sub-Saharan Africa, which is the worst affected region, 76 percent of young people in the15 to 24 age group living with HIV are females. It’s time to wake up and abstain!