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Editoral: Why aren't more people concerned?
How many HIV infections does it take?
Perhaps the sixty-five HIV cases per 100,000 in Guam does not appear
to raise particular concern among the people in Guam. One might ask the
question: How many cases of HIV or deaths from AIDS does it take before
the public attention in Guam is solidified to move public policies and attitudes,
financial resources, and sexual and needle sharing habits to turn the epidemic
on Guam around?
Will
it be necessary for us to pass or surpass the infection rate in Australia
where over 100 people per 100,000 are HIV infected before changes occur?
Or
will it take 10 percent of the population to become HIV infected as it has
in some third world countries before these changes happen? If 10 percent
of Guam were infected, the number of people infected would be approximately
16,500. In some areas in Africa, these are the infection rates that are
seen. It could happen here, if people continue to ignore the abstinance
and safe sex message, fail to use to use condoms, and refuse to educate
each other about HIV/AIDS.
It
could happen here. If it does, it won't take the ten years to move from
zero infections per 100,000 to 65 intections per 100,000. It's our choice.
Who can we blame if it does, but ourselves?
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