Brandon El
November 12, 2010
A serious problem that has been plaguing Africa as a whole is the dangerous HIV virus. This now is an epidemic that covers nearly the entire continent and once it develops into its final phase of AIDS it kills millions each year. Recently a plan formulated in Johannesburg, South Africa has been put into consideration for the people of this newly developing nation. For one month South Africa is compelling its citizens to either abstain completely from sex or unprotected sex to prevent to the spread of HIV among them. Yes you read right, one whole month with no sex and/or committing yourself to 100% condom use until the ending date. Experts like Alan Whiteside, a member of the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natasay, says this method could significantly decrease the amount of HIV diagnoses in many citizens throughout the nation. He and his teams mission is to reach out to the AIDS community and talk to them about this and other possible tactics that could be used to thwart the further spread of HIV. Whiteside appealed to delegates at a HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Research Conference stating "We have to deal with these HIV infections in the years ahead and we know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Whiteside hinted to the current situation in Swaziland where nearly 50 percent of women aged 25-29 are HIV-positive, past prevention efforts have failed catastrophically. So far the proposal that has been called controversial, has yet to be put into effect or even modeled but Whiteside told IRIN/PlusNews that its simplicity and logic have attracted the attention of researchers and governments.
The reaction I experienced when heard about this story was a mixture of astonishment and interest. This idea is a very intriguing in my opinion and I feel it actually could have some substance. No it may not be the ideal of most people to just stop having sex or pledging to use condoms each and every time a sexual encounter presents itself but the idea is definitely worth giving a try. Don't get me wrong, I myself wouldn't be much of a happy camper during the alleged time it would go down but after hearing Whiteside and his co-author Justin Parkhurst speak on a "safe sex/no sex month" and how it could help reduce the spread of HIV by 10 to 45 percent why would you not join the campaign?
http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=91037
4 comments:
yes, raising the awareness of having sex is the key to fighting against sex-caused AIDS plague. Similar campaigns should have been launched much earlier.
Hm..., your blog entry title, though very attractive, is a bit misleading: 'no sex for a month' is absolutely astonishing and horrible(for many people). 'Safe sex (or otherwise no sex)'is always a more practical slogan to combat HIV.
I agree with you this is surprising, but I don't think this will have a big change to the region since many people would not follow it.It is almost impossible to tell people to stop having sex. Although I think it is a good idea it wouldn't create a big change of the prevention against AIDS.
I like the idea of what they are trying to do and I agree with the quote that you used that "every ounce of prevention is worth it" because it gives the people hope. You've got to start small to conquer such a huge epidemic as HIV/AIDS. This method requires little to know expenses and is just a guinea pig tactic. You never know what could end up sparking something up.
I understand what they are trying to do, but I don't see it working. It is the same as telling teenagers to abstain from sex. Not happening. Distribution of condoms and more education is what will be the answer.
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