AIDS Summit in Toronto

[shainhouse]

Hi.

Did anyone attend this? I wanted to and was offered a slot through McMaster, but couldn't because I'm no longer in Toronto. So much coverage from this event frustrates me, especially the South African Health Minister's claim that AIDS can be treated with beetroot, lemon and ginger. Also, I still have not found concrete evidence that the G8 has lived up to their Gleneagles promises that they made last year. The world is as bad as it ever has been on this front, and while this event tries to engender change, I'm skeptacle if any change will even come from these meetings. Any thoughts?

Edited August 21, 2006 by Guest

[Groove Fetish]

A faculty member here let me go on her pass for the last day-

The best part of the closing remarks was Stephan Lewis.

Who called for his replacement as the UN Envoy to Africa on HIV/AIDS to be an African Woman.

He also admonished the South African Government for their inaction on HIV treatment. (The next day the South African Government said Stephan Lewis is not Africa's messiah. However the African women at the conference certainly gave him a rousing ovation for his words. )

It was also interesting that at one moment in his closing remarks he said the time for meetings is over- - his call for action, no more meetings and task forces and etc....

An overwhelming message in the conference was to focus more attention on how this disease is effecting women’s lives around the world, whether suffering from it or supporting sufferers.

There was also a poignant moment when an Aboriginal lady came to the podium to make some closing remarks and mentioned that Canada was ignoring its own third world issue- the way the disease is affecting Aboriginals.

There is no magical cure- focus on treatment and prevention.

[shainhouse]

Lewis' is an amazing man. I wish I could attend his classes, now that he's teaching at Mac. I've read essays of his and info through his fantastic foundation, and he's proof that action, not conferences, essays and meetings solve problems, or atleast shed more light onto problems. 800 die per day in South Africa alone because of Aids.. How many in the whole conintent, let alone world?

Retorovirals should be freely, or cheaply available everywhere... I know I'm a bit of a dreamer on that respect...

[AD]

Retorovirals should be freely, or cheaply available everywhere... I know I'm a bit of a dreamer on that respect...

Find a pharmaceutical that will give away their drugs and years of research and i'll buy you a sodapop. 'tis a good dream though, you're right.

[boiler]

There was also a poignant moment when an Aboriginal lady came to the podium to make some closing remarks and mentioned that Canada was ignoring its own third world issue- the way the disease is affecting Aboriginals.

I did some checking on this and found this from avert.org:

In the 2001 census, aboriginal and black people accounted for 3.3% and 2.2% of Canada's population respectively. In the same year, these groups respectively reported 6.6% and 15.1% of AIDS cases with known ethnicity. In 2004, these proportions were 16.4% for aboriginal people and 11.8% for black people. However it should be noted that in many cases ethnicity is not reported.

interesting.

An overwhelming message in the conference was to focus more attention on how this disease is effecting women’s lives around the world

I don't want to sound like an asshole but why does this become a woman's issue, this is a HUMAN issue. Statistically AIDS is a much larger problem for men. Maybe I'm opening the wrong can of worms, but feminism has had it's time and place, it's time to move on to humanism and focus on HUMAN issues. AIDS doesn't pick or choose what sex it attacks.

Edited August 21, 2006 by Guest

[bradm]

Statistically AIDS is a much larger problem for men.

I've heard that infection rates for women are a lot higher in Africa (than in North America or Western Europe), due to things like unprotected male/female anal sex being more common (as it won't result in pregnancy). And with higher female infection rates come higher rates of infection for babies, whose mothers then die of AIDS, and then become sick orphans.

Aloha,

Brad

Edited August 21, 2006 by Guest

[Freak By Night]

AIDS is a much larger problem for men.

What is your source for that claim?

I read in the paper on the weekend that in Africa, many more women are infected than men.

When women are infected, their children are born with the disease. Therefore it's a reasonable course of action to focus on preventing women from getting AIDS.

(in other words, what BradM said).

Edited August 21, 2006 by Guest

[boiler]

Statistically AIDS is a much larger problem for men.

I've heard that infection rates for women are a lot higher in Africa (than in North America or Western Europe)' date=' [/quote']

I do stand corrected, from avert.org again:

Greater chances of infection

Most HIV+ women have been infected with HIV through heterosexual sex. Physically, women are more susceptible than men to HIV infection through heterosexual sex, and this fact alone means that special attention must be paid to protecting them if they are not to be disproportionately affected by the epidemic.

Information drawn from different studies shows that during heterosexual sex, women are about twice as likely to become infected with HIV from men as men are from women. This is a major reason why women have caught up so rapidly with men when it comes to figures for the numbers of HIV+ people.

It seems very possible that, unless something is done to prevent it happening, women will soon come to overtake men in these statistics.

This may already be happening - data from the CDC in America shows that among teens, girls accounted for more than half of new HIV infections reported in 2001. Globally, women make up 60% of the 15-24 year olds who are HIV+.

Many millions of children around the world have already been orphaned by AIDS, and become themselves easy prey to the virus.

My initial reaction was stupid. I admit when I'm wrong. However I have also found that in the U.S., 77% of people living with AIDS are men. That being said, there is 414,193 people with AIDS in the US and 24.5 million in sub-sahara Africa.

Edited August 21, 2006 by Guest

[shainhouse]

I agree with the notion that Canada has its own third world issues to deal with. For goshssakes, many people living in Canada lack clean water, let alone sex education and sexual protection. If those facts are true, then we must attack our own HIV issues as well and atleast try and start reversing the link between ethnicity and AIDS contraction.

[can-o-phish]

I don't want to sound like an asshole but why does this become a woman's issue, this is a HUMAN issue. Statistically AIDS is a much larger problem for men. Maybe I'm opening the wrong can of worms, but feminism has had it's time and place, it's time to move on to humanism and focus on HUMAN issues. AIDS doesn't pick or choose what sex it attacks.

The focus of this conference was about AIDS and how it is affecting African Women. Many mothers have died because of having AIDS from being raped. They've left their children to be raised by the Grandmothers who's husbands have either desserted them or have died themselves.

In Africa, it is very much about the Women and how they are surviving against impossible odds. Yes, it is a Human issue and that was also part of the conference which is too massive to sum up on this board...

I never had the feeling it was a "feminist" issue but applaud the women who are doing so much more than many governments throughout the world...

AIDS doesn' pick it's victems but the people that have it and inflict it upon women through rape do...yep, that is a whole other can of worms...

[boiler]

I never had the feeling it was a "feminist" issue but applaud the women who are doing so much more than many governments throughout the world...

AIDS doesn' pick it's victems but the people that have it and inflict it upon women through rape do...yep, that is a whole other can of worms...

good points