The major barrier to fighting AIDS in Africa is a cultural one. African men still insist on having more than one wife with the natural concomitant problems that flow from that. Efforts to change this practice by agencies from Western countries have been met with accusations of trying to reintroduce imperialism.

Fighting AIDS in Africa might prove to be a sisyphean task.

Sage says, that the major barrier to fighting AIDS in Africa is due to African men. Sage attributes this to being because they [men] insist on having more than one wife. Yep, it's men's fault again, says Sage. And of course, all African women are such sad, downtrodden, underclass victims of those nasty, filthy, AIDS infected men.

Are we to believe that the African male/female population ratio is more than 1:1? Perhaps it's 1:2 or more. How is it that there are so many surplus women floating around in Africa that all men can get to have more than one wife?

And how is it that these African men can afford to have more than one wife? Are they all so fabulously wealthy?

And if they are all so fabulously wealthy and have multiple wives "on tap" 24/7, why do they have to go outside their own blissful marital harems and get infected by AIDS from low life hookers and street trash?

No way!

There is absolutely no way that I'm going to believe this sort of "blame all evil on men" rubbish. I have no idea where Sage obtained this notion, but if it was from the UN, or Amnesty or UNIFEM, then I suggest that Sage try a more trustworthy source of information.

Information from these sources is notoriously bent by ideologues and spin advocates - probably a more rational explanation of why the UN has failed to do anything significant about AIDS in Africa. The UN is an organisation that spruiks a lot, but they don't actually get anything done.

I don't think this is a battle against the sexes. This is a battle of strategy. The strategy to contain AIDS in Africa using the American ABC system of education, that is, Abstainance Before Condoms, didn't work. The United States and the bible belt pushes the ABC principle. It is a principle on religion rather than on outcomes in epidemiology. Thailand and Asia have been more pragmatic using the Australian CCC system, that is, Condoms, Condoms, Condoms. That is, saturate the place with condoms and push condoms as much as possible, and regulate prostitution to make sure they actually wear them. That is practicle.

The strategy to contain AIDS in the Australia is the hallmark to this system, something we did right, the US has stuffed up, and therefore stuffed up Africa.

Australia has managed to contain HIV to a minority group. So has Thailand. Does anyone give our gay men and prostitutes any credit for being so disciplined over the last 20 years, compared to their counterparts in other countries? Of course not. Mainstream Australia blames them for being responsible as they remain the only group under scrutiny by virtue of their own succuess in containment. This is their sacrifice. Few give our minority groups credit for being responsible for over 20 years of discipline, under close Government scrutiny and intense education. It worked. In comparison to other countries, we are doing OK with our formula. Thank you guys. You have done the right thing by Australia. Look at the mess in the US, and in Africa. They used the wrong strategy.

Lets not get moralistic about this, lets not turn this into a blame game, and lets look at what works, what does not work, and just do it.

We don't have the luxury to get all holier than thou and philosophical in such a serious issue that has the potential to destroy the African population.

Well said saintfletcher.

I am amazed at how much ignorance there is about aids in the world. In the US I shared a house with a girl who moved in gay circles and I was surprised at how many of her friends had HIV. Backpacking through Africa I met an English girl about to start a nursing degree, she did a six months stint as a nursing TA and regulargly got covered in blood. When I asked her if she wasn't worried about aids, it turned out she had no idea you could get it from blood. In Vic Falls the local tour guides and rafting staff slept with many of the western backpackers and told them it was racist to use condoms. Obviously it was only hearsay but I did get the distinct impression that a lot of unsafe sex was 'enjoyed'. I also met a farmer in South Africa who was planning to switch to deer farming as he expected a labour shortage as aids took root.

In Indonesia I took part in a big social hockey competition with a condom manufacturer as head sponsor. Jakartas international hockey was festooned with large banners sporting images of smiling condoms with hockey sticks. Similarly in Holland and Singapore there were lots of ads on TV saying that you should sort out the condoms while you are still dressed.

The problem with ABC is that the B makes you a hostage to your partners B. If your partner indulges in unsafe sex you are put at risk yourself, only the A&C can save you in that situation.

That is amazing that a nurse didn't know that about blood. She was actually at more risk to Hepatitis B and C, and they are nasty too. Not to mention all the other lurgies in Africa. Although most nurses are vaccinated against hepatitis B.

I've been thinking about why it is that women are the most vulnerable in Africa. If they are culturally sheltering women from this information, they need to get over that one quick smart.

The African women are either trusting each man at his word, are ignorant of the danger the sex poses, don't care as they have low self esteem, or just need the money. The men may not know they are infected either and just want a good shag.

I know they have that notorius truck highway through Africa where women are being infected by truck drivers who pass from country to country. Again, the women either trust them, don't care, low self esteem, or need the money. Again, the truck drivers may not know that they are infected, and are spreading the virus every day with every encounter. Also, when people are economically desperate or have low self esteem, they tend to go into self denial and forget the rules of keeping themselves safe from AIDS anyway. Containing the thing is really complicated, and Africa simply does not have the resources to begin to deal with it.

Condoms must always be available, and abstainance can be a piped dream in a place like Africa. Their leaders dream of a fools paradise, but their people are still dying horrible deaths in a depressing reality. There is also the cultural development need of educating the women, not just about self respect and the choice of condoms or nothing, but to have the self respect to care for themselves, as valuable members of their countries future, in the firstplace.

There is interesting statistic in the figures on HIV levels throughout the world. It is the HIV levels in the Islamic countries, they are said to be below 0.1% in almost every case. Does this indicate stoning for opportunity sex is a successful deterrent or are their statistics inaccurate. I think there is a lesson here for the west. Does anyone have a comment.