By Dennie Quill, ContributorTHE STAGGERING figure of 8,000 global deaths being attributed to the AIDS epidemic every day has jolted some of my hitherto indifferent friends who are slowly recognising the crisis that this scourge represents. Closer home an estimated 440,000 Caribbean people have been diagnosed with the virus, as many as 53,000 in 2004.
These are sobering facts. Our thoughts are focused on the deadly disease every year this time, ever since the United Nations declared in 1988 that December 1 should be commemorated to focus attention on efforts to fight AIDS by increasing awareness, remembering those who have died, praising those who are bravely living with the disease and encouraging the scores of activists and health care workers who are sounding the warning for the healthy to be cautious.
The sobering truth which is being repeated over and over this year is that the risk of getting the disease is growing for women and girls, hence the focus. According to the data, there are 2.1 million persons living with the HIV virus which causes AIDS in the Latin America and the Caribbean, including 310,000 who contracted HIV this year. Alarmingly, 130,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in the region this year giving our part of the world the dubious distinction of having the highest regional death toll after sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
EDUCATION AND PROTECTION
These are not figures to scoff about. Over the past 20 years more than 100,000 scientific researchers have been investigating the HIV virus and volumes have been written about the need to have safe sex. From all accounts the key weapons against this disease are education and protection. Protection is an issue because many of our men loathe the idea of wearing condoms and they continue to be reckless in their sexual habits. Wives and girlfriends are terrified to suggest condom use because in some cases it may signal guilt and could lead to untold difficulties in the relationship.
Poverty, ignorance and cultural taboos are some of the reasons why this region is so affected, according to the experts. I decided to surf the Internet to see how the media in the English-speaking Caribbean treated the commemoration of World AIDS Day. With the notable exceptions of Jamaica, the Bahamas and Guyana, not many column inches were dedicated to the subject. Truth is the regional media have not been doing much to educate people about the disease and to erase the stigma associated with being a victim. It was therefore surprising to see the way AIDS Day 2004 was covered.
Despite the bleak statistics being disclosed the Bahamas is one bright spot. They are patting themselves on the back for "Turning the Corner", saying that 20 years of education had paid off and now they were seeing results. For example, their mother-child transmission rate has been slashed from 30 per cent to 2 per cent because of the care they give to pregnant women. Of course, they have adopted the triple theory for treating pregnant women with the AIDS cocktail of drugs in order to prevent transmissions. The Bahamas is also reporting a decline in the numbers of new HIV infections.
Now, what sets this chain of islands apart from the rest of the Caribbean? For one, the Bahamas with its dollar on par with the U.S. and its thriving tourist economy, this country can better afford to look after the estimated 6,000 persons living with HIV and AIDS. And richer countries have better access to antiretroviral drugs.
The AIDs epidemic has created a major need for health care as well as economic and emotional support for those affected. We must salute the many advocates who have been working diligently to make this a front-burner issue. The unhappy fact is that 37 million adults and two million children worldwide are affected with the HIV virus this is 50 per cent more than the World Health Organisation predicted in 1991 and 95 per cent of that global total live in the developing world which is beset by poverty and limited health resources. So what are you going to do to protect yourself?
Dennie Quill is a veteran
journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
