According to the World AIDS Day website AIDS claims the lives 8,000 people per day, and that 5 people have died of AIDS during the time you will spend reading this entry on my blog. There have been more than 3 million new cases of HIV this year making more than 40 million people living with this disease in total. There are apparently only 4 ways you can be infected and having unprotected sex with an infected partner is the number one cause. According to many articles by Nicholas Kristoff of the NY Times, this is also a major aspect of the Darfur genocide currently taking place in the Sudan. Women and girls are systematically being raped and infected, essentially receiving a death sentence because of who they are and where they live. What can we do? I honestly don't know, but you can protect yourself by being abstinent until marriage with a safe partner. At the risk of sounding preachy, that's been God's pandemic protection policy for thousands of years (read Ex 20:14, Matt19:18 & Alma 16:18). It is essential however that we reach out to those suffering from this disease in a spirit of compassion, love and understanding, without the slightest hint of judgment. You should also read this article about how the Church commemorated World Aids Day this year.
1 comment:
I never thought of people infecting others on purpose- as in genocide. I am sickened. We can turn anything into power, can't we. Thanks for keeping our eyes open, Dave... to this and other matters. Keep it up. tara
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