MERGED: HIV in the Philippines

[depechebox]

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this virus is infecting millions each year, and we really need to take care of ourselves now adays, kay karon mora na man lang hinoon og ordinaryo na lang ni nga sakit,

right now I'm a recovering Catholic, I almost lose my faith several months ago, I dont believe in church anymore, pero na realize ra nako nga sakto pud diay sila.......

kay for short, kung walay pre marital *** walay aids... kung tumanun lang gyud ni nato, dili man siguro ta ron ma ingon ani......... lisod gyud hinoon pero, kung buhaton lang gyud ni nato wala siguroy aids karon...............

[klavel]

AIDS or the HIV virus existed 20 yrs. ago..Researchers thought they could create a cure for this illness but until now, after 20 yrs., it proved to be futile..

i think it is prostitution that majorly caused the widespread of AIDS/HIV..also, having *** with multiple partners (not in one time though) should be discouraged..though contraceptives are available at the nearest drugstores, they don't guarantee you'll be AIDS-free..

to avoid the disease, know your partner well and stick to one..

[Wind Shear]

Another option, have yourselves a medical check-up.

Hmm... to enlighten a little bit, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that will cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or sometimes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) which is a syndrome.

So the question of HIV or AIDS is... err... out of question.

[mannyamador]

International Case Studies Showing Condom Ineffectiveness Against HIV/AIDS (Part 1)
http://www.hli.org/condom_expose_complete.html#18

Uganda. In 1986, President Yoweri Museveni took office and immediately started an intensive campaign to change the widespread incidence of risky sexual behavior in Uganda.

In 1991, Uganda had one of the highest adult HIV infection rates in the world. Fifteen percent of all adults in the country were infected. Ten years later, Uganda had cut its HIV infection rate by two-thirds, to only five percent. It was the only nation in Africa that cut its HIV infection rate during this time period, and its decline in HIV prevalence was the greatest of any country in the world.

The key to this tremendous decline was an approach that other nations declined to embrace: The ABC Program, or Abstain from *** until marriage, Be faithful to your partner, and use Condoms if you do not practice abstinence or fidelity. The entire focus of the message was not simply to “condomize” the population, but to reduce risky sexual behavior.

The consistent broadcasting of the ABC message through all governmental, educational, religious and communications networks, in time, built up what researchers called a “highly effective social vaccine against HIV,” or a massive behavioral change among the people of the nation. The 2000-2001 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey found that 93 percent of Ugandans had changed their sexual behavior to avoid HIV/AIDS.

According to the Heritage Foundation, the primary lessons learned from the Uganda experience are;

(1) High‑risk sexual behaviors can be discouraged and replaced by healthier lifestyles.
Ugandans gradually accepted what they call “zero grazing,” or faithfulness to one partner.

(2) Abstinence and marital fidelity appear to be the most important factors in preventing the
spread of HIV/AIDS. Contrary to all expectations, young Ugandans widely embraced the
pro-abstinence message. From 1989 to 1995, the percent of unmarried young men having
*** plunged from 60 percent to 23 percent, and the percent of unmarried young women
having *** dropped from 53 percent to 16 percent.[37] This proves that teenagers are not
mere animals who are helpless slaves of their “raging hormones.”

(3) Condoms do not play the primary role in reducing HIV/AIDS transmission. As President
Museveni himself remarked, “We are being told that only a thin piece of rubber stands
between us and the death of our continent. Condoms have a role to play as a means of
protection, especially in couples who are HIV-positive, but they cannot become the main
means of stemming the tide of AIDS.”[38] The Ugandan government targeted only
extremely high-risk groups, including prostitutes, with condoms. The vast majority of
Ugandans rejected the use of condoms. Anne Peterson, M.D., USAID’s Director of Global
Health, says that “Condoms play a role. They are better than nothing, but the core of
Uganda’s success story is big A, big B, and little C.”[39]

In stark contrast to Uganda, the countries with the highest rate of condom availability still
have the world’s highest AIDS rates -- Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Kenya.[40]

(4) Religious organizations are crucial participants in the fight against AIDS [41]. Most
condom-promoting organizations believe that purely secular organizations should have a monopoly
in the battle against HIV/AIDS, and that religious organizations have no place in the fray. From
the very beginning of the ABC program, Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith-based organizations
played a central role.

The ABC program has been intensively studied and deemed effective by many leading international health organizations, including;

• the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which says that “This dramatic decline in [HIV/AIDS] prevalence is unique worldwide, and has been the subject of intense scrutiny;”[42]
  
• the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS);
  
• the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO); and
  
• the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.[43]

Despite the obvious success of the Ugandan ABC program, which has undoubtedly saved hundreds of thousands of lives, condom promoters continue to discount abstinence in favor of programs that have been proven ineffective.

For example, the Global HIV Prevention Working Group issued a July 2002 report entitled Mobilization for HIV Prevention: A Blueprint for Action, which emphasizes *** education, condom distribution, needle exchange programs and increased availability of and access to anti-retroviral drugs in its program. It briefly mentions Uganda’s success story, but attributes its drops in HIV infection rates primarily to massive condom promotion and distribution programs, which did not actually occur in the country [44].

In reality, condoms do not impede the spread of AIDS. In 2004, the journal Studies in Family Planning concluded that “No clear examples have emerged yet of a country that has turned back a generalised epidemic primarily by means of condom promotion.”[45]

[Gwynhuever]

HIV is not spread by body fluids during intercourse only....puede sad ni siya ma katap by sharing needles (junkies) ...and sad to say usahay contaminated ang blood magamit during transfusion...

[Sovabon]

Just give kisses and hugs only for preventing it.

[flik]

we should be safe in everything we do....

[Rance]

Do we have any data specific to the region of Cebu or Philippines on how many people are infected? or any statistics by gender, by class (students, prefessionals.. ect) if we have these data then that would help other people to realize that the possibility of exposure is very high in this country

[Freeza]

basta me naa ko LYSOL always

[Sovabon]

Dina mamatay lysol bro, tua mana sa imo sulod lawas. Kaw nuon matay kon imo jud gamitan lysol! Hehe