Devon Dick THE RECENT report from the Ministry of Health that there is an alarming rise in the number of persons contracting the deadly AIDS virus is a cause for concern. The spread of AIDS, a pre-dominantly preventable lifestyle disease, is heading to become a drain on the financial and human resources of the health services. The drugs needed to alleviate suffering caused by the AIDS virus are expensive, requiring the use of scarce funds that could be used to provide treatment for non-lifestyle related illnesses.
In addition, health professionals who have to care for persons living with HIV, are put at increased risk and it is not surprising that they claim they are afraid to care for such persons. This has led to persons with HIV/AIDS complaining that they have experienced discrimination from health professionals. With one-third of the over 40 million persons living with HIV, globally, being between the ages of 15 and 24, HIV/AIDS must be of concern to all because of the imminent effect on the education system and productivity at the workplace.
AGE GROUP
In Jamaica, at June 2002, the majority of persons with AIDS were between ages 24 and 34. This is the age group for the young professionals. Consider the number of man-hours that will be lost due to the time to be taken to care of this preventable serious disease. Businesses will have to factor in the cost of treatment for this disease and health insurance premiums will increase to fund the care of the disease. Sexual intimacy is going to be, for some, a thing to be feared rather than seen as a gift from God to be treasured and enjoyed. Former lovers will be blaming the other for the disease and lawsuits will become prevalent. A worst-case scenario will see persons deliberately trying to infect other persons as a means to get even. In addition, many children will be born with AIDS through no fault of their own and the quality of life bequeathed them, will be low and life expectancy will be short. Already, between 1982-2002, 479 cases of AIDS have been reported of children under 9 years old.
AIDS is also going to be a challenge to the political process. Already, the Canadian authorities have denied a Jamaican living in Canada residency because he is HIV positive. Legislation will have to be enacted so that someone with AIDS will not face discrimination at the workplace and children with AIDS will not be barred from educational institutions while putting in place the necessary safeguards that will not expose others unnecessarily to the disease.
The alarming spread of AIDS could be an indication that the Safe Sex campaign of the Ministry of Health is inadequate. Unfortunately, Safe Sex became synonymous with the use of condoms. But believe it or not, safe sex is more than condom usage. There are persons who warned the Ministry of Health about a campaign that is driven by condom use. Studies in the USA showed that a condom campaign geared towards teenagers did not work. They often did not use a condom and when used, often, it was done incorrectly. Now Jamaica is learning that whether it is 'a one-time fling or a long-term 'ting' condom usage is not at the required level. Culturally, condom use would have problems. Generally, the Jamaican male despises condoms. And generally, Jamaican woman will not insist on condom usage but tries to please the male even to her detriment in order to 'keep' him. An effective ad campaign needs to address issues of women empowerment, male ego and responsibility.
Furthermore, the music industry, as portrayed by the music videos, promotes a man having many women while cable television promotes sexual behaviour without condoms and no consequences. Jamaica needs social engineering. It needs the support of the entire nation to engage in re-socialisation. It is not that the Ministry's campaign did not have other messages, including abstinence, but that messages calling for chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage became footnotes. The campaign needed to acknowledge that learning to control one's sexual urges, a natural urge, is not the easiest of things to control and often times one needs supernatural help to keep it in check.
KNOWLEDGE
Having knowledge about sexuality and AIDS does not necessarily translate to responsible behaviour. This was borne out in a survey done on the nation's brightest students who having had knowledge about AIDS were found to be engaging in risky sexual behaviour. This problem is big and needs God's help! The AIDS disease is a difficult animal to tame and it is bigger than any condom. So, it was inevitable that, a campaign to control AIDS, having as its centrepiece condom use, was doomed to fail. Its success needs the entire nation to engage in social engineering that is cognisant of the Jamaican culture and lifestyle and the significance of supernatural intervention.
The Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church and author 2004 edition 'Rebellion to Riot: The Jamaican Church in Nation Building'.
