[ModusOperandi]

Originally Posted by GoNative

I think there's a bit more to it than just poverty but poverty and education are definitely huge issues. There are also many cultural and traditional practices which have assisted the spread of the disease as well.

A couple of links to some of the factors that have made the spread of AIDS in Africa so much more than in other regions of the world. The 1st one is a bit dated but from the 2nd article almost 20 years later it appears the same issues are persisting.

Cultural practices contributing to the transmission of HIV in Africa

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/21/wo...1cameroon.html

Go Native, most of those are definitely plausible ways that the virus can spread. I was just focusing my argument towards the guy who seems so adamant to correlate HIV with Christianity. However, most of those reasons brought up in the articles aren’t exclusive to Africa. Tribal rituals (primarily scarring) are seen globally (tattoos, markings etc), homosexuality is global, promiscuity is global, so is zoophilia. It doesn’t take more than one infected individual to spread AIDS. So ask yourself what the ultimate difference between Africa and these countries are.

The all-encompassing reason is poverty.

Your NY Times article states there’s only 1 doctor for around 40,000 people. Now couple that with the typical native’s inability to pay for medical attention. The probability of ever knowing you’re infected until it’s too late to suppress the virus is next to zero. And even if you know, how will you afford to pay for consistent medical attention? Unfortunately, Africa isn’t full of Magic Johnsons. Poverty in Africa isn’t poverty in America, Australia, Europe or most of Asia….it is extreme. I was born there, I went to school there and I consider it my home. I’ve seen a lot. We weren’t rich, but we lived comfortably in a highly industrial setting, yet we couldn’t even afford routine check-ups. That’s the state of the continent.

People can’t afford medical attention, thus they don’t know until it’s too late and continue to live life like anyone else around them. By the time they’re done, they’ve probably infected others through one means or another. It’s a never-ending cycle.