HIV is a cause for concern everywhere in the world. With many people still having unprotected sex on a daily basis, the habitual sharing of needles between drug abusers and those poor children who are born with the disease due to already infected mothers in places like Africa, the disease remains difficult to control.
HIV Researchers do Make Breakthroughs, but They Never go Far Enough
Money all around the world is regularly pumped into funding scientific research for the cause of HIV. Some would argue that not enough money is set aside for such an important and needy cause, but the fact that research programs exist cannot be denied.
Despite these constant attempts to find solutions and create HIV prevention vaccines, scientific bodies across the globe are still unable to present solid answers with solid cures.
Breakthroughs in HIV research are made regularly, this cannot be denied, and these breakthroughs should be acknowledged and given reward. For example, in September 2009, a new vaccination in Thailand provided evidence of strong shifts forward in the right direction. The study, carried out on 16,000 people, proved that with this particular vaccine, the risk of contracting the disease was reduced to a third.
A significant advance, for sure, but still not significant enough.
HIV Fears are Still Not Enough to Put People Off from Unprotected Sex and Needle Sharing
In the western world, where contraception is not only widely available, but for the majority of the time also cheap or even free in some countries (in the UK it is possible to pick up a free supply of condoms from any local health clinic in any borough as a bid to encourage people to have safer sex at all times), it is baffling as to why people still refuse to practice safe sex.
The obvious reasons lie at the heart of the sensations that can be felt during sex. Without a condom, the sensations are far stronger and the interruption caused by having to put on a condom is eliminated, thus making the whole experience even freer and more enjoyable.
Equally, lots of youngsters who are sexually active from an early age sometimes find it embarrassing to go to a shop or to a clinic to request a condom and therefore opt for a condom-less choice, continually placing themselves at risk from HIV and other STIs. This is still the case despite educational efforts in schools to educate students about these concerns, some schools offering some excellently detailed and graphic educational programs.
Sharing a needle when practicing drugs is not a high cause for concern when a drug addict wants to get a fix; needs a fix. Therefore, no matter how logical that addict knows that it is dangerous to share needles and the like, the choice between getting high and not getting high really isn't a difficult choice to be made.
The Countries That are Most Affected by HIV
When analysing yearly data about those countries mostly affected by the HIV virus, it is not surprising to note that the majority of the world suffers from the disease. However, poorer countries with weaker health systems and poorer conditions for sanitary living, including many African countries for example, are always hit the hardest year in year out.
Indeed, in 2003, it was reported that some 25,000,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa were infected with HIV. When comparing this figure against the 1,000,000 found in USA for the same year, the results clearly show the disparity and the concern for those in the southern hemisphere
TV Soap Operas That have Dealt with Stories About HIV
The coverage of the disease across western soap operas in another large indication of how much worry surrounds HIV and our inability to be able to find a way of not only combating, but also preventing the disease.
Numerous story lines come to mind, including Mark Fowler as a HIV positive gay man in the UK's long running East End soap, "Eastenders." Indeed, the number of viewers glued to their television screens during the final few episodes of Mark's death were amazing. Even BBC Three managed to pull 1.03 million views for the closing of this story.
Lots of research revealed that many of the youth community at the time learnt most of what they knew and understood about the virus and how it had been unfoundedly linked to homosexual activity of any nature through the BBC soap opera's long running narrative.
What Does the Future Hold For HIV and HIV Research?
As each year passes, those infected with the disease and those with loved ones who are infected, pray for a cure. Everyone prays for a vaccine that will help prevent HIV and hopefully erradicate the disease altogether. However, at present, judging by past achievements, this seems unlikely.
The only thing that can be done is to help improve the quality of education and health care for those who need it to try and find a way of containing HIV and preventing further spreading of it. This, also, is a very large and demanding task.
Tracey Chandler - Tracey Chandler currently writes a weekly column for non-profit organisation South American Explorers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She also ...
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