On a more serious note, AIDS in Pictures
 

These are graphic pictures so if you can't handle it, don't look. These pictures show a reality of AIDS that too many of us are ignoring. It's a WORLDWIDE EPIDEMIC folks.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/775356.asp?b=hi

yup, having work in South Africa, I get to see the epidemic first hand. More tragic is the many children who are orphaned because both of the parents died of AIDS. Very very tragic.

:( I wish that our government were more realistically committed to stopping the rapid spread of AIDS throughout the world.

Yeah, me too. Instead of running around starting or instigating (sp?)wars.

Thank You!!
 

Ninja Poodle thank you for posting this. With all the t.v. show threads (which are useless as I don't own a t.v.) I appreciate someone that can bring up something that is often overlooked. Even in our own country we are not immune. How many people know that women in the U.S. are more likely to contract HIV these days? I am sure that would make us reconsider our actions and choices in our lives.

Thanks again.

Such a sad situation :( Thanks for posting this.

President Bush has pledged 15 billion dollars over 5(?) years. Unfortunatly, we are far away from a realistic solution of containment in underdeveloped nations and the cost of treatment is prohibitive for most people.

Re: Thank You!!
 

I think (my own personal opinion here) the average American overlooks this stuff 1) not only because it's happening in other countries, but 2) because you don't see the extreme cases here (in the US) like you do in say certain parts of Africa.

Thanks for sharing these pictures. You are so right, we don't see this everyday, so some, if not most of us are very disconnected to this epidemic.

Re: Re: Thank You!!
 

We don't have whole villages full of orphans, or young girls being raped because they are known to not have HIV or AIDS. Many people in the U.S. have basic nutrition, healthcare, and friends and family to care for them when they are ill. People need that all over the world and until it is realized by elected officials, here and elsewhere, the tragedy will continue.

Those pictures were sobering. I can't stand to even think about AIDS, it scares me.


I got a few friends who have crossed the line as far as sleeping with women go. Now they have the mentality as if they wont be around in 30 years. They don't have anything yet they cant get rid of, but they think sooner or later somethings going to show up, Their philiosophie on it all is...."we'll let the clinic take care of it." That might be one of the most dumbest comments I've ever heard. Then again I can't say how I'd feel if I crossed the line as well.

Re: Re: Re: Thank You!!
 

So true, there are so many myths that are going around in Africa on how to get rid of AIDS that they are harming each other even killing each other. Some believe that if you have sex with young vargins that the disease disappears. I commend some countries for putting the message out there that you can get infected. As for the USA, what has stopped us is the lack of sex education.

*bump*

Re: Re: Re: Thank You!!
 

Drug cocktails don't end epidemics, and sending medications that we use in the states will only make the problem worse in the end.

Healthcare won't solve this problem - we cannot kill the virus. End of story - billions in foreign aid will only make a more powerful virus. Think about it.

There are far deeper, far more dangerous issues with HIV - think about current treatments and funding, and where they lead . . . ugly stuff

Re: Re: Re: Re: Thank You!!
 

I didn't specify anything, but made a general blanket statement. There should be education before we just send random aid. Aid comes in many forms, not just medicine and healthcare. What is that cliche saying...? Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime....

ttt, tomorrow is World AIDS Day