WHAT IS YOUR "AIDS" QUOTIENT ?

INFORMATION IS WEALTH- so here is some information which you could use. And it could prove much more than wealth- in fact, information is health. Health is one thing which is indispensible to the human survival and nothing is more sacrilegeous than ignoring or being ignorant about a disease that is spreading leaps and bounds. Something like AIDS...

Before we go deep into it, lets us get some basic ideas. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; and it is caused by HIV (HIV - Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is the advanced stage of HIV, where the human immune system loses its power to resist outside attack completely- and death occurs.

By many propagandas and campaigns, knowledge about AIDS has been fairly well etched in the people's mind- however, they think they know... but they don't. For it has been noted a few times (in India) that the so called "AIDS-counsellors" themselves were falling short of knowledge about it... and you can forget about the general public. I was misconceived about it for a long time till recently. I discussed it with my friend, and asked some probing questions... only to realize that (to his dismay) he too was not fully aware of this epidemic. So I intend to dispense my knowledge to the world. Any corrections or criticisms are welcome.

The effects of AIDS are unhealthy- and after struggling with ill health, one fine day life will be sniffed out. So, the important thing is how to prevent it. For every common statement of propaganda, I have a counter argument- not to prove that the campaign is giving false info, but it is flawed in that it is not the COMPLETE information.

Check out these questions:

1. AIDS mostly comes from sharing blood- I have given blood and I know people who have received blood, and we don't have AIDS or HIV. Why so?

2. AIDS spreads from intravenous drug abuse and generally by taking drugs- Oho, the place where I live, drug abuse is fairly common; yet few or none have HIV.

3. AIDS comes from sharing needles- Well, I have been given many injection shots with a needle which was NOT a disposable one (meaning it was used before with someone else). Why am I still not having HIV? Does it mean that sterilizing a needle could solve this problem?

4. AIDS comes from "unsafe" sexual intercourse- So, define "safe" sexual intercourse.

4.1. OK, Always use a condom- If so, how can the population grow? I mean, all childbirths are to be prevented then. Since childbirth happens almost every second, it is not justified to say "condoms prevent AIDS". So the whole issue of "sexual contact" is flawed in this propaganda. If we are led to believe that "condoms prevent AIDS", nothing is as flawed as this as it leads people to believe that sex without condom is a sure shot way of killing yourself; and forget about having children.

5. AIDS comes from oral/anal intercourse- still people are alive and healthy inspite of practicing "unsafe" habits. Why so?

6. AIDS is transmitted by childbirth- Well, it is valid only if the mother has it. So, this notion is accepted without any doubts.

7. AIDS is transmitted by homosexual contact- Another "unsafe" means, but still people are alive without any health defects. Why?

8. Kissing with cuts and bruises in the mouth- Ooh.. this leads to believe that ANY contact of other person's blood is suicidal. What about the first aid people who deal with blood all the time? And nurses and doctors? What about the people who suck blood from a snake bite?

9. Be faithful to your partner; it prevents AIDS- No doubt this is a good moral statement, but still it doesn't fully explain things. I know many healthy boys and girls who have had many partners (by the way, partners means "sexual partners"), and none of them have HIV...

AIDS campaign are many and varied, and since sex is such a taboo subject in many communities, the correct information is not passed on. The statements in YELLOW are the campaign statements, and only this information is released to the public. The questions posed at each statement could raise the authenticity of the campaigns. But the flaw lies in NOT giving the COMPLETE information.

Here's something which could clear things up.

(I). AIDS is only SPREAD from one person to another, and does not originate from within a person.

(II). This means, if two people are HIV negative (no HIV, no AIDS) then even indulging in the most bizarre acts of affection or sex would not make them HIV+. Meaning, unprotected sex, sex without condoms, oral/anal intercourse, etc. would not cause them AIDS. And of course, childbirth is an occasion of joy, and not grief.

(III). HIV is transmitted by unsterilized needles with a blood stain WHICH HAS HIV. And never otherwise.

(IV). Blood transfusion by sharing HIV infected blood is the cause for spreading, and not otherwise.

(V). All the above mentioned campaign statements are valid only if ONE of the individuals involved has HIV/AIDS, and NOT otherwise.

So, this leads to one thing: if you are already pure, and the statements above(points 1-9) involve you and a person who is also pure... you are at zero risk. So how did AIDS originally come into existence? Nobody knows the exact answer, but there are a few theories put forward. Chief among them is the grafting of testicles of chimpanzee to humans; butchering and eating infected animals; and bestiality. Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) was found to exist among some animals, and it is generally accepted that humans got the HIV from SIV, by some form of contact with the infected animals; mostly sexual or by eating them. Well readers, now that you have some "MORE" idea of AIDS, go back to points 1-9 above and read them again. Then you would have been effectively educated by the AIDS campaign.

So, AIDS is a killer disease which has no cure till date, but anti-AIDS campaign should be better directed. The information though not false, seems limited- it opens up assumptions and ill-conceived theories like this: (the most absurd one I've heard) Sex with a pure virgin/animal could cure AIDS. Awareness has to be more accurate.

Like my blog says, INFORMATION IS WEALTH.. er, HEALTH.