AIDS, Politics and Greed

The issue of aids has become a leading topic in the newspapers recently. This week an African Aids Summit is being held in Abuja, Nigeria. Last week a Court in South Africa cleared the way for more cheaper and affordable drugs should be sold or imported to the country against the greedy desires of the multinational corporations that manufacture these drugs. Sensing their defeat they gave up their fight. As one peruses the newspapers, a living being from space, if there are any, visiting the earth will only conclude and tell his folks back in space that aids is only in Africa. The newspapers continue to, intentionally, avoid mentioning the aids epidemic in the European countries, Asia, Latin America, North America and the Far East. It is only Africa that is mentioned and it is only Africa that needs help. See statistics below. From the very beginning when this dreadful disease was discovered, it was stated that aids originated from Africa and more specifically from the Congo. It was declared without any scientific research and support that the people of the Congo eat monkeys that carried the aids virus. Politics became an issue and Africa became the center of it all. African leaders lacking the knowledge and resources to fight back did nothing. African scientists did nothing. For that matter, Africa became the centerfold of aids and blamed for the spread of aids. As time goes on it was reasoned that aids affects only homosexuals. Those who were seriously affected were homosexuals and not those so called - straight- that is non-homosexuals. Well known individuals of high visibility died of aids. One such notable person was Rock Hudson. The search for the cause or causes of aids became very political because scientists, politicians could not face the fact that the origin may be from Europe and or a "white origination" and continued to blame Africa as a real source of the aids epidemic. The debate over how aids is acquired, the origin of aids became more important than any serious research as to the causes of aids and its prevention. If early researchers blame Africa as the continent that brought aids into existence because they eat monkeys that carry the virus; then there is no need to do any further research. The simple solution would have been - to stop eating monkeys, kill all monkeys, burn them and that should have been the end of aids. This did not solve the problem. Africa is not well known for homosexuality. Therefore, how did it become a disease paramount amount those with that sexual orientation? No one could give an answer. People continue to die in millions. The only figure of death that can be stated is that from Africa. Americans, Europeans and others in the so-called industrialized countries continue to see Africa as the motherland of aids. Talk, think of aids, think of Africa.