AIDS kills 'one in three' in South Africa

[Fire Walk With Me]

Almost one in three deaths in South Africa are caused by Aids making it the leading killer, according to research.

In two provinces, the figure is as high as 40%, says an unreleased report by South Africa's Medical Research Council.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4558367.stm

What an opportunity for Bush to provide humanitarian aid, such as condoms! He'd be a life-saver of untold proportions! Come on George! Save those lives!

:sarcasm:

If he CAN do something, and DOESN'T, what does that make him and his administration? We're talking millions of people. Millions.

[FrenchieCat]

1. That's why they are foot dragging and stalling....

Remember that this administration likes real estate much more than people. They will continue their foot dragging until they are out of office.

They are selfish assholes and nothing more.

[ismnotwasm]

2. bush is simply a disgusting human being

Aids is decimating Africa. An entire continent. The statistics on it's growth not only in Africa but all over the world are nothing short of terrifing. Any health care worker involved in care for Aids victims KNOWS this, they are out there, desperately tying to educate folks, but for some reason, this issue is swept aside. Instead, we hear debates about condoms. Debates for gods sake! Instead, we are in a WAR with more deaths. Instead, Governements like China's, who have only recently even admitted HAVING Aids have no interaction with the US that I know of, no exchange of ideas, statistics, treatments education, and the plague grows, and grows. bush sits on his ass paralyzed because he has to come across as "moral" He's one of the most immoral bastard of our times, as far as I'm concerned.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Can't the Red Cross distribute condoms/education? The W.H.O? What!?

Are international health organizations barred, or completely overwhelmed, with the potential to at minimum, distribute condoms? I honestly don't know, and if they're being barred, want to know more. Anyone?

Good point made above regarding potential outcomes. They're creating mercenaries (hiring citizens to be soldiers) out of Uganda, and if they want cheap labor, why not cheap land to further pillage?

Is pillage an outdated word? Sorry, "privatize".

[Maraya1969]

4. Please don't flame me but Africa needs clean water, food

and general medicines. Years ago we were asked to donate these things to that country and others. Now everyone screams about sending AIDS drugs - creating billions of more dollars for the big pharmaceutical companies.

They don't even use an HIV test to diagnose AIDS in Africa now. God forbid someone gets parasites, (and it is a big problem) or malaria and any other of the number of illnesses that have been plaguing these countries for years. Are they going to be treated for these illnesses or are they just going to be labeled "AIDS" patients?


President Mbeki does not want to buy into the big pharm's marketing and has been protesting it for years now. He's taken a lot of flack. Personally I think he is a courageous and intelligent man that does not want to pump drugs into a person until they know that those drugs are what they really need.

83 AIDS drugs are now on the market and there are 80 more being developed now.

Ya think that might have something to do with the AIDS crisis in Africa? (no offense to you)

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Surely you're not implying a direct link between epidemics and profits

And I'm not calling you Shirley.

[tjdee]

8. Do you have a link for that?

Everything I've heard about the AIDS crisis in Africa leads me to believe that it is a major emergency there (in addition to other STDs, actually).

I've never heard they don't test for HIV. Not denying it, just would like some info on that.

It's totally immaterial to me, as people are dying there, period. They are certainly in a crisis state--whether it is caused by AIDS or not.

[Maraya1969]

10. Here is some information

Here is a pdf. File that explains what constitutes AIDS in Africa.

http://www.vordenker.de/hiv/bangui.pdf

http://www.virusmyth.net/aids/data/chrftricks.htm

In 1986, as peace and political stability finally began to return to a totally wrecked country, there was another memorable event. The World Health Organisation published (actually in October 1985 in Bangui, Niger) the above definition of AIDS that was exclusively applicable to developing countries:

Under this definition, Africans are declared to be suffering from AIDS if they have had, for example, diarrhea for more than one month, 10% weight loss, and cough for one month. An HIV test is expressly not necessary here.

Thus, on the Ugandan health ministry's registration form for people with AIDS in 1991, the possibility of an HIV test is not even mentioned. This means AIDS, the illness that in the words of Professor Luc Montagnier (the French doctor credited with the discovery of HIV) "has no typical symptoms", was being diagnosed in Uganda and other developing countries exclusively on the basis of symptoms.

The required symptoms, however, are not rare in a country like Uganda with 20 years of systematic destruction behind it. So it was not really surprising that Uganda was declared the "epicenter of AIDS".

[tjdee]

13. Thank you....

I was unaware of that....yeah, LOL, that's probably why 1 in 3 has it!

Man....they've got so many problems there.

Thank you for that information.

[Maraya1969]

11. Here is another interesting twist - NON HIV AIDS

NON-HIV AIDS

Idiopathic CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia, or ICL, is an immunodeficiency syndrome in which human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, cannot be detected. Because HIV is the causative agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), ICL can be referred to as Non-HIV AIDS. As in AIDS patients, Non-HIV AIDS patients exhibit reduced numbers of CD4+ T-lymphocytes, and many Non-HIV AIDS patients have developed the opportunistic infections or otherwise rare cancers associated with AIDS.

http://www.autoimmune.com/Non-HIVAIDSGen.html


There is also a condition called "Reconstituted AIDS". Which basically means the viral load is negligible and the CD count is at normal but the person still gets sick. Now apparently they have found some antibody that is consistent in these cases but antibodies really mean nothing except the body has fought off some intruder and left a protein behind so that it can be recognized and fought off easier if exposed in the future.

The drug companies refuse to acknowledge that it might be their DRUGS that are causing the illness in these healthy people.

[tjdee]

6. Bono has come out ahead on this issue.

Which is almost sad, because he's a musician and not a politician.

His DATA (debt-AIDS-trade-africa) organization focuses on raising awareness about this issue, as well as the other problems facing the continent of Africa. That continent is festering with so many problems--most of which is unreported by major news outlets.

And the point he raised at the World Economic forum, and Bill Clinton agreed, was that this costs peanuts compared to some of the other crap we're spending money on (ahem...invading countries for no reason...cough cough).

We as a country just don't want to help them. Plain and simple.

http://www.data.org

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. "We as a country just don't want to help them. Plain and simple."

That seems to be it, in a nutshell.

"This is Africa. No one cares about Africa." -African warlord, "Sahara".

[FrenchieCat]

12. But then we are a country full of contradictions....one right after

the other.

Americans, including Dems curse professional politicians, and feel that they just can't seem or don't want to get the job done...

but then again....many Americans wouldn't dream of voting for anyone who has never held office or won an election to lead this nation.

That's the kind of country we just are....

In December or 2003, Jesse Jackson wrote an op-ed for the Chicago Sun Times, urging the White House to improve its commitment to battle AIDS internationally, and criticizing the administration’s efforts thus far.

In the same op-ed, Jackson singled out Wes Clark’s AIDS plan for specific acclaim.
“Ironically, it took a general — Gen. Wesley Clark — to put forth a truly bold program,” Jackson said. “Clark would double Bush’s commitment and build upon World Health Organization programs rather than spurn them. sees this as a centerpiece of what he calls a ‘preventive engagement policy’ to make America a source of hope in the world. Perhaps it takes a general, knowing the scope and the limits of our military strength, to deal aggressively with a disease of mass destruction.”
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/1088.html

[meganmonkey]

9. That is a powerful statistic

All the b.s. rhetoric about wanting to help people in the ME while we spend billions upon billions killing people and destroying infrastructure instead.

Meanwhile we neglect an entire CONTINENT, where many areas are in a horrible crisis - either AIDS, famine, f*cking GENOCIDE.

This country pretends to stand for something as it stands in front of the mirror telling itself it is Good and Strong and Mighty and it is all a big f*cking crock of shit.

:cry: