THE EDITOR, Sir:
SINCE THE AIDS epidemic began in the 1980's, there have been grim statistics on the millions of people, particularly Africans who have suffered gravely because of HIV/AIDS.
Today, there are about ll million African AIDS orphans, and about 2.5 million Africans died last year because of AIDS. The Caribbean region has the second highest rate of HIV infections behind Sub-Saharan Africa.
Twenty-one thousand Jamaicans are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, with 20-36-year-olds accounting for 56% of all AIDS cases. Jamaican women are reported to account for approximately 8,700 of AIDS cases. Unprotected sex with an infected partner seems to be the primary way of spreading HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.
It is fairly well established that HIV is spread through direct contact with blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. Intravenous drug use, that is, the sharing of unsterilised needles and syringes with an infected person, and non-sterile instruments used for tattooing and ear-piercing increase the risk of HIV infection. HIV is also spread during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding from an infected mother to her baby.
The use of drug and alcohol increases the risk of HIV infection. Anti-retroviral drugs can delay the onset of AIDS and extend the life expectancy of HIV-positive persons.
There is about a l0-ll-year incubation period from the time of infection for AIDS symptoms to develop. Individuals could look and feel quite healthy for a long time. Hence, persons who might be HIV-positive and have not taken the AIDS test could be spreading the disease to others.
The most effective ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV are: the consistent and correct use of latex condoms, postponing sex, particularly if you are unaware of your partner's HIV status, and mutual monogamy, that is, two partners who are uninfected and who have sex only with each other.
Tuberculosis also brings into sharp focus the collective need to struggle against HIV/AIDS. TB germs are spread through the air. The virus that causes AIDS weakens the immune system. Hence, HIV-positive persons are likely to develop the TB disease. Jamaica, like other countries, could face an outbreak of tuberculosis, which I hope the Ministry of Health is geared to fully address. In fact, the Washington Post recently reported that "some strands of TB resist traditional medication; curing an ordinary American who catches drug-resistant tuberculosis takes two years of treatment and $60,000 to $l00,000 worth of drugs."
There are misconceptions about how HIV is spread. There is no scientific evidence that a person can get infected with HIV from casual contact such as hugging, holding hands, handshakes, and dry kissing (gentle closed-mouth kissing). It is unfortunate that HIV-positive Jamaicans have to deal with the painful experiences of being stigmatised and discriminated against by health workers, employers, family members, and community members. I support the recommendation for anti-discrimination legislation to provide legal protections to Jamaicans infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Recent commentaries in Jamaica's newspapers raised the question if mosquitoes can infect humans with the AIDS virus. Researchers who have investigated this relationship indicated that the HIV virus does not develop or replicate in the mosquito; that mosquitoes do not process the virus in their saliva, and that once inside the insect, the virus quickly dies (see British Medical Journal, Vol. 292, 26, April, l986). Moreover, mosquitoes attack a wide cross section of people, including older people and young children, and these groups are under-represented among persons infected with HIV/AIDS.
None of us can be complacent about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, nor can we estimate the devastating downward spiral that Jamaica could face if bold steps are not undertaken to stem the rate of new HIV/AIDS infections. Fundamental in this struggle is to separate myths from facts on the risk of HIV infections. We also need to replicate and to build on successful HIV prevention strategies. We know that HIV prevention strategies are lowering infection rates in Ethiopia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Senegal. We must beat back the spread of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica and in the Caribbean region.
I am etc.
MARCIA E. SUTHERLAND, Ph.D.
ms781@albany.edu
Associate Professor and
Co-Chair, Save Africa From AIDS
(SAFA) Campaign
UAlbany, State University of New York
Albany, New York
Via Go-Jamaica
