by Klaus Doring
The topic AIDS has been, is and will always remain a hot potato. AIDS doesn’t know any special season – but it seems to have been forgotten. Especially distressing is still, for many fellows the condemnation and ignorance about condoms – the one and only sure HIV-AIDS protection as has been proven many times.
For many more people the saying seems to be: AIDS – doesn’t matter! What a fatal attraction for those people who love to play Russian roulette. The latest numbers from the Philippine Department of Health showed us: A striking 87 percent increase in the number of individuals who tested positive for HIV was reported last week. Also, 131 new infections in July 2010! From January to July 2010, the figures for HIV reached 940. Since 1984 the Philippines registered 5,364 HIV and 849 AIDS cases. I am pretty sure that those numbers never show the reality.
Since 2004 the last figures from worldwide health ministries showed the number of new infections hitting one record high after the other. In several countries AIDS tests for willing married couples are required by law. So far so good, but how about most of the new HIV/AIDS infections involving heterosexual men, gays, or those men who force prostitutes to have unsafe sex without condoms? How about drug users, who spread the AIDS virus by using dirty injection needles?
The latest registry in the Philippines said most of the individuals, about 90 percent of them, were males and the most number of infections come at the productive age group between 20 to 29 years old. And, sexual contact was the most common mode for HIV transmission. Worldwide immigration authorities require HIV/AIDS-tests several times in different intervals before entering the country and/or before a continuation of immigration permanent status documents processing. I experienced it for myself in 1999 when moving to the Philippines. Nowadays one can’t find such requirements any more.
Dr. Edsel Salvana, associate professor of the infectious disease section of the University of the Philippines (UP), Manila said the Philippines could be facing an “epidemic” HIV/AIDS cases as numbers continue to rise while newly-infected individuals are getting younger.
Chasteness and chastity seem to become more and more foreign words. Ask the young generation and don’t wonder if you’ll mostly hear a plucky laughter.
AIDS – doesn’t matter???
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Germany has joined many of its NATO allies in drastically cutting its military budget, and even the U.S. is now cautiously mooting defense “efficiencies”. Is this a response to huge national debts, or a new strategy? I can’t answer this question right now!
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The United Nations has launched what is called the first anti-corruption academy, aimed at turning out a new generation of top-of-the-line corruption fighters. New types of financial crimes will be investigated. Great! Can we expect any influences for the Philippines?
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