HIV versus mankind, the battle rages-on!

Halim Danusantoso ,  JAKARTA   |  Sat, 06/20/2009 11:12 AM  |  Opinion

Almost all aspects of HIV have now been elucidated, and more than 15 potent antiretrovirals (with more to follow), have become available.

There are HIV programs across the world, involving innumerable governmental agencies and NGOs. Nevertheless, the disease continues to spread and AIDS patients are still dying every day, especially in developing countries. This is the greatest irony of the turn of this century.

The good news is that now HIV+ people from rich countries or those financially able to get good medical care need not die from AIDS anymore. They can live a normal life and might have the same life-expectancy as those who are uninfected. The most prominent example is the former basketball star Magic Johnson, who has appeared on the cover of Time magazine several times. Unfortunately, Magic’s fate is not shared by most, if not all, people in developing countries.

All efforts still concentrate only on containing this monster, as a cure or vaccine is still a long way off. Compounding this unfavorable position, the below-described deplorable situations are clearly detrimental to our efforts to win this battle.

HIV is enabled through reckless human behavior. Unfortunately it is only human nature to get the best of the best in life, which includes going after the ultimate (illicit) sexual delights and beautiful sublimity of intravenous drugs, despite fore-known awareness of the mortal danger and intense suffering these things can cause.

As these activities are done behind closed doors, no-one is there to blow the whistle in those critical last minutes. And again, unfortunately, modern society, with its progressively easy going attitude and permissiveness, makes access to these things all too easy.

Like a submarine attack, once HIV enters a person, either through the well-known routes (unprotected sex, IV drug usage, blood-transfusions) or lesser known ones (unsafe dental practices, unsafe tattooing, incidental pricks or cuts with HIV contaminated sharps), they will not immediately know.

HIV takes it easy and slowly, replicating itself endlessly without being easily detected. After several years, these clones devour its victim quickly. Only then can HIV be easily recognized, although simple laboratory test can detect the virus as soon as three months after initial infection.

But who wants to ask for an HIV test when they are in the prime of their life, seemingly healthy and doing whatever they like! Even if by pure chance a doctor might suspect someone of being at high risk of being HIV+, it might still not be easy to suggest testing. But, very unfortunately for mankind, although a person may still appear to be in top-form, once HIV+, they can transmit this virus to others.

So many are involved in the battle against HIV/AIDS that sometimes it is simply impossible to find common ground on basic antagonistic views, like providing sterile syringes to heroin addicts (harm reduction strategies); there are those strongly in favor and those vehemently against and all have their own logical and valid arguments. Another example is advocating the use of condoms, including making them readily available.

Let us discuss the ABCs of the great illusion: Abstinence, Be faithful to your partner and Condoms. We all know how strong sexual desire is, fueled by liberalism, ever progressive permissiveness and all those drugs to combat erectile dysfunction. The Internet makes it so easy to make contacts anytime, anywhere. All these make “A” and “B” a greater challenge. It is for certain that HIV would not have a chance to succeed in the epoch of our grandparents.   

Condoms, meanwhile, are essential to prevent infections by not allowing direct contact between genital mucosa and genital secretions to occur.

Unfortunately, a rubber sheath, however thin it might be and however useful it might be, is still considered a cumbersome burden at such a critical moment. The need to impose a barrier between the fine nerve-endings of two sexual partners, the very source of the so-desired exquisite delights, can indeed seem 100 percent contradictory to the human nature, as humans always want the utmost of everything.

Despite the fact that medicines and medical devices come with elaborate instructions on usage, the most basic facts on condom usage, like which one to choose, how and when to use it properly, etc. remain a mystery to many. It is essential to ensure proper usage for maximum effectiveness.

The writer is a pulmonologist.

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