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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

As AIDS Became A Pandemic?

AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a pandemic - an epidemic of global proportions.

The first reports of the disease have appeared in American medical periodicals in the early 80-ies. In a relatively short (5-7 years) term AIDS gripping the world. The territory of the then Soviet Union, thanks to the communist iron curtain "remained unconquered (except in isolated cases). At the same time, the incidence of AIDS in African countries has grown exponentially.

If we analyze the morbidity statistics by country, it turns out an interesting pattern. Level of infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in the civilized world (Western Europe, North America) for the past 6-8 years has stabilized and does not exceed 1% of the total population, and is formed mainly by migrants and non-indigenous population (as For example, African migrants in England). In contrast, the underdeveloped countries of Africa and Asia show the highest infection rate. Thus, according to official figures (and official statistics in many African countries are under pressure from government agencies and has used the data to understate), HIV infection in Zambia is 30% (every third Zambian), Botswana - 41%. Average life expectancy for this disease there has slipped to 38-40 years (for comparison: in the developed world - 70 years and over).

I've always been interested in the question: "What is the reason such a high level of HIV in Africa?". At the time, Soviet propaganda, using the fact that so far there is no single proven theory of the origin of AIDS, has put forward the theory that, allegedly, HIV was artificially created somewhere in the West to destroy the African race. This idea is so like the African leaders (especially those who blame the West for all their problems) that they have accepted it as an explanation for high incidence of AIDS in Africa.

But in fact the cause of high incidence of AIDS is in the other, namely, the sexual mentality of the Africans, or more simply, in their attitude toward sex. According to historical records, before the arrival of Europeans in Africa (ie, up to 16-17 centuries), sexually transmitted diseases there were not known. Now imagine the following situation: the absence of STDs, warm climate year-round abundance of fruit (again, the whole year). What would you do? Well, of course, sex! And Africans. Their mentality has historically incorporated lightweight attitude toward sex. Add to this the absence of any religious dogmas and taboos, which is filled for European Christianity and for Muslims - Islam.

In the State Archives of Zimbabwe, I came into the hands of an interesting book. It provides a statistical report on the incidence of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1921. The incidence of syphilis among Aboriginal people in far in 1921 reached 25%, ie, one in four black Zimbabwean in 1921 was infected with syphilis. It is therefore not surprising that when AIDS appeared on the scene, it has spread like lightning across Africa. Probably the same way (or close to it) AIDS is growing in other regions of the world.

The high level of HIV infection has set sane African leaders reviewing the national attitude to sexual culture. In Africa today is a fairly aggressive promotion of family values (loyalty to the spouse) and safe sex, because the stakes in this game is survival - of both the individual and the nation as a whole.

In my opinion, it is time to revise moral values about sex and we have. The alarming statistics of the growth of AIDS in post-Soviet space - to the foundation.

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