The South
African city of Durban is the venue for the 2016 World Aids Conference.
Sub-Saharan Africa will feature prominently on the agenda, a region where the
infection rate has decreased by over 40 percent since 2000.
Which
strategies are most effective in the battle against HIV/Aids? DW looks at how
four African countries are responding to the challenge.
Ethiopia:
Free medicines
Ethiopia is
regarded as a model in the fight against the virus HIV and the disease Aids.
Between 2001 and 2011, the number of new infections in the East African nation
dropped by 90 percent, more than in any other African state. During the same
period, the number of people who died of Aids also declined by more than half.
The
decreasing infection and mortality rates are mainly due to antiretroviral (ARV)
treatment. ARVs prevent the HIV virus from spreading and damaging the body's
immune system and also allow people to live a largely normal life with the disease.
Since 2005, the drug has been distributed across Ethiopia free of charge.
In remote
villages, trained medical staff ensure every HIV patient takes his or her
medication. Nearly 2,500 health clinics offer care and support to pregnant
women to prevent mother-to-children transmission. In addition, between 2013 and
2014 some 9.6 million people - one in ten Ethiopians - were tested forr Aids.
Kenya:
compulsory HIV/Aids education
Fewer than
six percent of Kenyans live with HIV/Aids. That's about 1.5 million people. The
number of new infections also fell significantly in recent years. In 2005, 28.3
percent of infected mothers transmitted the virus to their children. Five years
later, that figure had gone down to 8.5 percent.
Meanwhile,
more than 90 percent of all pregnant Kenyan women go for Aids tests. In 2000,
there were only three health facilities where Kenyans could consult medical
practitioners and get tested for HIV. In 2010, the number of health facilities
offering HIV consultations had increased to more than 4,000.
The main
reason for the reduction in the HIV/Aids prevalence in Kenya is the supply of
ARVs. In 2003, only 6,000 people had access to the medication. Ten years later,
that figure increased to more than 600,000.
The Kenyan
government also regards voluntary male circumcision as a weapon in the fight
against AIDS. This reduces the risk of infection among men by about 40 percent,
according to studies. Since 2003, HIV/Aids education has been a compulsory
element in school curriculums. About 70 percent of the cost in fighting
HIV/Aids in Kenya is footed by external donors.
Burkina
Faso: support fund for the sick and orphans
In most of
western Africa, the percentage of HIV infection was far less than in eastern
and southern Africa. In 2000, Burkina Faso had a prevalence rate of around six
percent, one of the highest in the region.
Today,
according to estimates by UNAIDS, only 0.8 percent of the population is infected
with the virus. The government responded early and showed its determination to
fight the epidemic.
In 1987,
the Burkinabe government implemented its first action plans. Together with
international donors, the private sector and local communities, it invested
large sums in ARVs, opened a support fund for HIV/Aids infected people, and
started training thousands of health workers. In addition, the government began
a massive behavioral change campaigns and distributed condoms.
Uganda:
'Abstinence, faithfulness and condoms'
In Uganda,
the Aids epidemic reached its peak in the 1990s. Approximately 18 percent of
the population was infected with the virus. The Ugandan government and
international aid agencies launched ambitious and expensive educational programs
with the slogan "Abstinence, faithfulness and condoms."
The
campaign was a success. In 2000, only five percent of the population was
HIV-positive. But, in the meantime, a contrary trend is emerging. The number of
new infections in Uganda is rising again for the first time in ten years. The
HIV prevalence rate in the country is now about seven percent of the
population.
Surprisingly,
a major reason for this is the widespread usage of ARVs and the circumcision of
men. Many Ugandans believe that the ARV therapy can cure the disease completely
and that male circumcision rules out any risk of infection - as a result, more
people are abandoning the use of condoms.
Related Articles:
" .... Africa
Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.
Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.
In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."
Kryon Q&A
Question: Dear Kryon, as the Universe transforms in this period of ascension/transition, why does it appear that little spiritual attention is focused on the African continent? While there has certainly been a religious awakening largely due to the circumstances that souls choose (for example, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc.), this is being translated quite slowly into spirituality (my perception).
What is your information on the state of spiritual awakening on the African continent?
Answer: Dear one, this question is perhaps the best one you could have asked for your time. Indeed, it appears that the African situation is dichotomous to an awakening Earth. For a full explanation, you have to go back to information we presented 12 years ago [Kryon Book One, 1989]. We told you back then that there was a potential that showed that in order for your planet to move forward at the rate it was appearing to, up to one percent of the population might have to leave. This was startling information to most of you, and some wondered how and where this might begin. A disaster, perhaps? A comet strike? Now, as you know, the Humans on the African continent are currently losing their lives by the tens of millions. In addition, the life expectancy is bleak for at least the next decade . . . perhaps the next full generation! Your disease called AIDS is seemingly fulfilling this prophecy.
What this might mean to you is that the prediction given to you about your transition is now upon you, and all you can do is sit back and watch it occur in horror. What we have channelled to you recently, however, is that nothing could be further from your reality, or your 2001 potential. Instead, we have reported to you that since the 1989 potentials, you have far exceeded the energy for the year 2001 beyond that which was expected. What this means is that now the prophecy does not have to occur at all! What you are seeing, however, is the setup for the old potential still in progress, without knowledge that it is not needed.
Remember that death of any kind is abhorrent to you. We don’t expect you to understand how such a thing could have helped Spirit or Earth, but on a grander scale, it would have. An entire generation of Humanity came in with this expectation and knowledge, and they had agreements to leave early. It is this African family that you may now turn your attention to, for they have the opportunity to void this entire contract and remain in health.
This African continent is not in a state of spiritual awakening. They are instead in survival mode, plowing through an outdated spiritual potential. What can you do? Visualize the change in this scenario! You just changed the very time frame of Earth itself, so changing the energy of this one place is well within your ability! Visualize them happy, with families intact, fed, healthy, with the potential for life and joy. The energy you can develop in these visualizations can nullify the scenario that is there . . . totally! You can change the leaders’ minds, quicken the ability for science to reach those it needs to, and even change the reality of the disease itself. All these things we tell you, lightworker, since this is the work that you have asked to do. Your visualizations create a light that shines into the dark places of consciousness, or science, and of hope itself. You still don’t understand the potential of your energy! Is it worth two minutes a day? Perhaps three? Each day, consider this.
Blessed indeed is the awakening lightworker who is free from worry about death and who is not constantly hungry. For this Human has the ability to use his energy to help those who are ready to blossom into their own spiritual awakening, but who are currently consumed with an old contract of death and disease. The few may help the many, and the many may remain to help the earth in other ways. This is what family does for family. Believe it!
