It is easy to try and ignore HIV and AIDS. However, AIDS affects us all. Ordinary people, including young children, living ordinary lives may become sick and die. Children may lose their parents; older people may lose their children. Our communities may lose farmers, teachers, health workers and builders – people that we depend upon. The loss of skilled people means that business and trade suffer. Over 20 million people have died from AIDS and 38 million people around the world are now living with HIV and AIDS. Over 15 million children have so far lost one or both parents due to AIDS. These figures continue to rise.
There is at present no cure for HIV or AIDS. No vaccine is yet available. However, there are drugs that can slow down the development of HIV into AIDS. Sometimes these drugs are widely available. Sometimes they are either not available or are
very expensive.
HIV and AIDS are damaging the progress made by development. The future of many communities is threatened. However, all of us can play a part in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Discussion
- What effect have HIV and AIDS already had on our community?
- What effects might they have in the future?
- How can we work together in our community to educate people about HIV and AIDS and to support those who are affected by them?
- Where can we get more information about HIV and AIDS? How can we collect and share new information about HIV and AIDS?
- The threat of an infection that will take many years to develop does not seem very urgent to people who are struggling to survive each day. How can we warn such people of its importance?
- How can we pass on this information to people in our community who do not seem to take the risk of HIV infection very seriously?
- Could our government be doing something to try to improve access to the drugs that can slow down the development of HIV? How can we encourage them in this?
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