The AIDs Epidemic Around the World

AID is something that we used to hear about all the time, but why don't we anymore? The AIDs epidemic in Africa was at an all time high then, and now it really isn't any better. At the end of the 90's we viewed it as an emergency and now we don't. Is the AIDs epidemic in Africa changing? What can we do to change it?

The rapid spread of aids across Africa and other countries, causes us to stop and look at the mortality rate. How did this happen? AIDs still remains the number one cause of death in Africa, and according to avert.com, over 22.4 million people in Africa are living with the HIV infection. This is approximately two thirds of the world's global total. This number has increased dramatically since 2008, when there were 1.4 million deaths in the sub-Saharan region.

The Catholic Church has taken a stand by making the statement that, "The Bible's teachings stress the 1) value and dignity of every person, and 2) the rights and responsibilities of society, and 3) the love and compassion of God." says ncan.org. Many are asking where these feelings come from, so in conferences across the country with bishops and lay people, several statements were issued.

In 1987, the Catholic Church put out a response to the AIDs epidemic, in an attempt to reach out to people everywhere. The whole National Conference of Catholic Bishops published A Call to Compassionand Responsibility; in 1989. Pope John Paul II, frequently spoke of his view on AIDs in visits to nations all over the world and when attending AIDs conferences.

In 1994, Bishop John Ricard made a bold statement that all people are "Made in God's image and likeness, every human person is of inestimable worth. All human life is sacred, and its dignity must be respected and protected". This statement was made at a conference called The Many Faces of AIDS. He spoke of the good news, or the Gospel and how it demands that we respect all life. He spoke against discrimination and violence against AIDs patients, and he labeled this as unjust and immoral. He spoke of his desire for people to live a healthy and free lifestyle, not one of irresponsibility.

The message was clear then, that we are all made in the likeness and the image of God, and that should account for something. We can't stick a label on people because they have a dreaded disease. All people have a shot at life, and the message was not delivered lightly, and should not be any different today. Overall the tone of the Catholic Church was to lift the burden of those who felt cast off and to help them live in freedom even though they are infected by this disease that ravages their bodies.

AIDs is no longer just attacking Africa, but is now more recently hitting Asia hard. The biggest challenge according to avert.org, is that Asian countries don't have the proper systems in place to monitor the HIV virus and its spread. While half of the world's population lives in Asia, small bouts of infection mean large numbers of deaths. Sadly, the number of Asians believed to be suffering from HIV is 4.7 million and climbing.

Eastern Europe and Central Asia are also experiencing an increase in their numbers of people becoming infected with HIV. In 2008, the AIDS virus took over 87,000 lives and the number there is on the rise too. The reason it seems to be spreading so quickly, is because so many are sharing needles for drug use. So, in any country where the drug use is high, the climb of the AIDs outbreak is sure to follow.

The Russian Federation and the Baltic states are suffering the worst. According to avert.org, the population infected with HIV in the Russian Federation in 2007, was around 940,000 people. The statistics of diagnosis of HIV is patchy, so it's hard to get a definite number on what the numbers look like today. The number at the end of 2007 is reason enough for us to be concerned, but we just don't want to face the reality.

There is another International AIDs Conference set to happen in Austria in July. President Bill Clinton and South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, are scheduled to speak in hopes of finding a solution for this disease ridden country.

www.avert.org
www.ncan.org