Dear Haters... On this occasion of World AIDS day, we review the effects within our societies of the worlds most dreaded pandemic. The theme this year is clear: "Getting to zero; End AIDS by 2030" I have been taking this day seriously ever since I started working with the media almost 18 years ago, helping to inform the public about HIV/AIDS. Particularly when I began serving as a humanitarian volunteer some ten years back. I urge all leaders and youths to be pro-active in the fight against the disease. Remember that World AIDS day is also within the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Gender relations have their own human rights dynamics and they also impact efforts to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS particularly in the developing world. As many might already know, these are internationally remembered advocacy days, and I am glad to have met and worked with people who are dedicated to these important causes. Abstinence, faithfulness and use of condoms plus suppressive medical treatment, remain our only defense against HIV/AIDS. The World Health Organization estimates that since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 78 million people have been infected with the HIV virus and an incredible 39 million have already died. Globally, more than 37 million people live with HIV/AIDS as we speak. Africa remains the most severely affected, and to put it clearly, 71% of all the people living with HIV on the planet are in Africa. That is disastrous for our continent. We therefore shouldn't lower our guard as many youths seem to be doing these days. Let us remember that AIDS is still a deadly incurable disease that continues to kill 1.5 million people every year around the world. Let us also remember that 2.1 million individuals worldwide become newly infected with HIV every year (2013 WHO figures). This is a clear increase in AIDS sufferers, and it includes over 240,000 newly infected children every year as well, contracting HIV during the mothers pregnancy, at birth or via breastfeeding. I would like men to imagine themselves as a pregnant mother for a second here. The burden of responsibility and psychological trauma is incomparable when a pregnancy and a child are involved. Do we realize that to be 100% safe from this disease, mankind wouldn't even reproduce. No children. No future for mankind. The mechanism of this virus is comparable to a "Final Solution" against humanity. That's why 100 million people test for HIV/AIDS each year. Regular testing is the first measure in combating the spread of AIDS. We should therefore always keep in mind that the virus works towards our complete annihilation whether we look at it from an individual patients perspective, or humanity as a whole. Yet it is estimated that 19 million people don't know that they are infected with the disease. They therefore constitute a public health risk as they are more likely to unknowingly continue behaviour that spreads the disease to others. Once a person knows their status, he/she is counselled on how best to take care of him/herself even if he/she isn't infected. Usually after a test people try to start a new chapter in their lives whether they are tested positive or not. In Africa, everyone can count at least five people who have died of AIDS or are living with the disease. This shows how close AIDS is within families and communities. It is also a good development because it indicates how open African communities have gradually become in regards to the epidemic compared to the stigma that was once so overwhelming that silence, pain and withdrawal were the only options for patients. Today many go about their lives as normal with their friends and family. Therefore even as new medication allows prolonged life for HIV patients, finding a complete cure for the disease should remain the Worlds number one medical research priority.
Hussein Lumumba Amin Kampala, Uganda. 1st December 2015.
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