by Marie Devine

Created on: May 16, 2008

Hateful stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS infected people in Jamaica does not stop the epidemic. They are negative words that feed on fear and anger and infect the hearts and minds of the people with a disease more deadly to life than HIV/AIDS; that disease has hatred and fear.

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which damages the human immune system making it unable to fight infections and tumors. HIV causes a set of symptoms and infections that are called AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

HIV, the virus that breaks down the immune system, is passed to other people through direct contact of ordinary mucous membranes with HIV infected blood, semen, vaginal of sexual activity, giving blood for blood transfusions, sharing hypodermic needles for drug use, and even between mother and baby during pregnancy, childbearing, and breastfeeding, or any accidental contact with any of the above infected fluids and a open cut or such. Women are more likely to get infected because their mucous membrane is larger and more open to tearing in intercourse. This also makes it almost impossible to avoid contact with the infected fluids of women during sex.

AIDS was identified in 1981 in sub Sahara Africa by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the short span of less than twenty-eight years (28), AIDS has spread world-wide infecting an estimated 33.2 million people and killing an estimated 2.1 million people according to 2007 statistics, including 330,000 children. Many people are infected but are unaware.

In our modern society of international travel, it is impossible to contain the HIV/AIDS disease in one area. When people have it, unaware, and travel to another country and continue sex practices in that country, it gets spread there.

Jamaica is an example for the world's approach to HIV/AIDS that does not prevent or treat it effectively. Homophobia, and songs of violence against gays frightens those infected so they do not seek the medical help they need, or tell their friends and family so they can take care regarding it. That leads to an unconscious denial of having the virus and perpetuates the spread of it. Homosexual sex was the primary cause and spread of the HIV/AIDS, but when a man went home to his wife, it spread to the unsuspecting wife and on to the children who could spread it playing and getting cut among friends. It is no wonder the people became homophobic, but now there are no real boundaries determining the morality of those

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