World Aids Day

In the lead up to World Aids Day, I am reading no end of analysis on the particularities of this epidemic at a as it works its away from host to host. Most notable was perhaps the US context where the 13 southern states appear to have no workable strategy on how control might be exerted other than the exhortations of abstinence coming from pulpit, soapbox and media outlets. The burden falls disproportionately on the poor, and those of colour and those attempting to introduce harm reduction measures are more likely to be arrested than thanked.

Vietnam handles the situation rather differently. It would appear to acknowledge the problem, accept the funding, and then like everywhere else struggle to communicate preventative measures to hard to reach groups, notably adolescents, migrant workers and the more well known at-risk-groups such as the commercial sex worker and the man that had sex with the man. Issues are discussed calmly without the rhetoric associated with the less fulfilled cleric and rational ways forward are proposed.

But with the best will in the world, it seems hard to connect the intellect with the animus at certain times of life, and only a certain amount of education will ever get through on the glorious subjects of safe and shooting.

What to do then - increasingly harm reduction strategies such as an anti-AIDS pill (pre exposure prophylaxis) and Vaginal Gels (microbicide) are being researched as methods that can reduce the risk in situations where the tradtional methods are not being used - i.e. needle sharing and unprotected sex.

The potential effect is that in reducing possibility of contagion, we offer less safe methods of catching HIV to those particularly at risk.

The probability game when played with issues such as this becomes more and more complex, and it might be said that this is likely to decrease inhibitions than increase them when they might be particularly useful to you.

bon chance mes amis