Anti AIDS vaginal Gel fails test

[AKA_Monet]

The gel concept was used to provide a "safety net" to African women who have very little rights to their bodies. Rape is rampant and impregnation along with HIV is a constant daily factor in these women's lives. A young girl has ZERO protection with the coming onslaught of men, except to leave the continent of Africa.

So, as I was told in a Global Health Meeting with the Gates Foundation and US PEPFAR funds, providing a discrete method of birth control and HIV protection, as well as HSV-2 protection MIGHT stave off the risk. Men will not wear condoms in Africa, period... So, a water soluble gel, like KY jelly with nonaoxyl-9 and other items could be "discrete" enough to "protect" the women...

Unfortunately, it is not working. There are other issues, mostly social and political, the physicians and biotech just cannot fix. Meanwhile millions of women and children die in Africa. These results are disheartening.

I did ask at this meeting why are the men extremely brutal sexually? As usual, I got cursed out... But what is happening with women in Africa can EASILY happen anywhere else if we ignore the telltale signs and not resolve it.

Interestingly, both India and China have started working on Africa...

And from what I understand in some parts, of subSaharan Africa, Dubai has a vested interest. Maybe they can help?

There is a reason why President Bush is there...

[Educatingblue]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

The gel concept was used to provide a "safety net" to African women who have very little rights to their bodies. Rape is rampant and impregnation along with HIV is a constant daily factor in these women's lives. A young girl has ZERO protection with the coming onslaught of men, except to leave the continent of Africa.

So, as I was told in a Global Health Meeting with the Gates Foundation and US PEPFAR funds, providing a discrete method of birth control and HIV protection, as well as HSV-2 protection MIGHT stave off the risk. Men will not wear condoms in Africa, period... So, a water soluble gel, like KY jelly with nonaoxyl-9 and other items could be "discrete" enough to "protect" the women...

This is a very unfortunate situation. The interesting thing about several developing countries in Africa is economically they are catching up with the rest of the world, but when it comes to social/cultural norms, they are light years behind (lets not get on female circumcision, which is still readily practiced). I am not saying completely assimilate to Western culture, but why continue detrimental practices?

I often wonder how many people have to die in African countries or any other country for that matter before people realize the seriousness of HIV/AIDs.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by Educatingblue

This is a very unfortunate situation. The interesting thing about several developing countries in Africa is economically they are catching up with the rest of the world, but when it comes to social/cultural norms, they are light years behind (lets not get on female circumcision, which is still readily practiced). I am not saying completely assimilate to Western culture, but why continue detrimental practices?

I often wonder how many people have to die in African countries or any other country for that matter before people realize the seriousness of HIV/AIDs.

Rape by men against women is an issue of power. Women are powerless in these countries as well as several developed ones. So, what it takes is some sort of movement or change in the conceptual understanding of social norms and mores between men and women.

There is another issue: Malaria is not a joke in these countries. Children every day die due to malnourishment and malarial infections. Then, we have not started to discuss the genetic predisposition of sickle cell disease. Most Africans living in the tropics have either sickle cell or the trait for a protection against malaria. It just so happens that sickle cell is a risk factor for HIV infection as well as other viral infections, like HSV-2. Since the suffering population never gets older than 40-something, they never see the end-effects of what sickle cell or HSV-2 infection does, i.e. leukemia and skin ulcers... Ironically, malnourshiment causes the suffering to last longer because if you starve a virus, it cannot replicate and do its damage. Making this a powder-keg double edge sword kind of thing.

I do not know what to think (other than bad and horrid) regarding the poor conditions seen in Africa. But, I do know this problem should be solved some kind of way and I am interested in being part of that solution...

Oh yeah, Tanzania and other parts are spraying with DTT...