However, a meta-analysis of African AIDS studies by an international team of scientists led by Dr. David Gisselquist sheds some light on what happened to
In three articles published in the International Journal of STD and AIDS in 2002 and 2003, the Gisselquist team said that more than half the cases of AIDS in Africa before 1988 were due to unsterilized syringes and other medical exposures to contaminated blood and only about 30 percent of cases, not the 90 percent claimed, were sexually transmitted.
Thus, the claim that the African AIDS epidemic is due to the irresponsibility and promiscuity of Africans is nothing but misinformation tinged with racism.
An article by Nigel Hawkes and Michael Dynes in the
The Times article included the following summary of the Gisselquist team’s findings, which were based on studies done by others, the implications of which, they say, were ignored:
“The spread of HIV did not follow the same pattern as sexually transmitted disease. In
“The spread of HIV was too fast to have been caused by sexual transmission. To explain the speed it would have to be as easy to catch HIV from sex as it is from a contaminated blood transfusion; in fact, it is much harder.”
“Behavior surveys show that sexual activity in
“Many young children are infected with HIV even when their mothers are not. In
“The countries where HIV has spread fastest are those, such as
“Sexually transmitted diseases are usually commoner among the poor and uneducated, but HIV in
In an article entitled “Mounting anomalies in the epidemiology of HIV in Africa: Cry the beloved paradigm” (International Journal of STD and AIDS, Volume 14, pages 144-147, March 2003), authors Devon D. Brewer, Stuart Brody, Ernest Drucker, David Gisselquist, Stephen F. Minkin, John J. Potterat, Richard B. Rothenberg, and Francois Vachon wrote:
“Similarly, there are persistent reports of HIV in infants with seronegative mothers. A recent large survey from
In the conclusion of the article, they wrote:
“Finally, Africans deserve scientifically sound information on the epidemiologic determinants of their calamitous AIDS epidemic.”
A great tragedy has befallen
In the 1980s, many clinics and vaccination programs in
The situation is better now, but in many places in the
So, where was the World Health Organization in the 1980s? And where is WHO now?
Why did WHO not provide enough syringes to the
Is it complete incompetence? Is it indifference? Or is it lack of funding?
If it is incompetence or indifference, why are these WHO officials not sacked and replaced by competent, dedicated officials?
If it is lack of funding, why are funds not being provided by the richer members of the UN?
If it is a combination of these things, why is nobody doing anything to ameliorate this situation?
Is the life of a human being from the Global South less valuable than the life of a human being from the Global North?
And there are more questions.
Why do heroin addicts and other intravenous drug users in
Is it racism? Is it a silent genocide program?
Does the mismanagement of the AIDS crisis in
Astute observers have pointed out that most of the countries that have recently experienced famine, war, and high rates of HIV/AIDS are also the countries with the highest birth rates.
Many people believe that HIV/AIDS was actually created by the
However, there is evidence of a policy of deliberate neglect of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the Global South.
In the 1960s, when it became infeasible to blatantly oppress Black citizens in the
Now a policy of deliberate neglect appears to be targeting the people of
All people of conscience must do something about this situation. We must all say “no” to this policy of silent genocide.
HG/HG
END
MNA
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