It was interesting to learn that top-most disease in Nepal is AIDS/STD and those who suffer are between 22-29.

target=_blank>http://www.apan.net/documents/03/iwnt2003ppt-binod.ppt

Arko,

That demographic has always been one of the largest "at risk" populations for Nepal. There are a couple of reasons for this and I know there was a similar thread on "Sajha" a while back, but there didn't seem to be enough interest from folks in terms of having that discussion and trying to come up with viable solutions (I'm not saying we have to have concrete, high impact solutions, but as individuals, even building awareness amongst our own circle of family/friends goes a long way)

Here's the link to the previous Sajha thread: http://www.sajha.com/sajha/html/OpenThread.cfm?forum=2&ThreadID=27819

Let me be frank about AIDS, and let me tell you all what I really think about it. Call me a eugenicist, call me close-minded, but AIDS is a boon to third world countries like Nepal. Let's face it:people who contract AIDS are mostly 1)uneducated poor people--Nepal's indigent or 2)prostitutes and sex workers. Of course in America and Europe, it's due to homosexual intercourse and IV needles. Not so in Africa and South/South-East Asia. It's heterosexual intercourse for sure. While it's unfortunate that they may be working in the sex binness against their will, what good does it do to have these people around? AIDS takes care of these people. The sad part is that it is such a slow killer that it lets people procreate. Of course, fortunately for us, these people are shunned upon by the society in general. People who don't practice safe sex are more than likely retarded or uneducated. No use having these people around. Plus, it won't really take off in Nepal like people are imagining. The society is way too conservative, IMHO.I don't see how a guy with, say, a degree from Tribhuvan U would go to a prostitute without, say, a condom or something.
Think about it. As long as it's not airborne, we don't have to worry about it that much. If the HIV virus somehow mutates and because of that, it can spread via airborne means, only then should we truly start to panic. Till then, watch the flies fall one by one. Seriously, why do we have to fight AIDS? I don't understand the logic behind it. Why is it a cause for concern. Something like FLU is a bigger deal.

Just look at these statistcs. Even 14-19 years have AIDS. I used to think that diarrohea (jhada pakhawala) was the biggest contributor of diseases in Nepal but it has grown with leaps and bounds as western countries for AIDS.

So, most people who contract AIDS are sex workers and their clients, and also drug addicts. So why is AIDS a bad thing? I don't understand.

thugged_out,
ok it's true that AIDS is acquired via unsafe sex but what abt some people who inject infected syringes to people in movie halls or in a crowded area.
i wouldn't wanna be a victim of AIDS for doin' nothin'. the concern is not that people are getting it .the bigger concern is how it's spreading and to stop it's spread.this might not make sense but wel tehi ho kura chai.
did u guys hear a young girl in brooklyn was stabbed an infected syringe some time ago?good lord.never know when u're gonna b pricked.

Thugged out,

I wonder if you love making these mind numbing statements to get attention or if you actually believe in what you say..if it's the latter..God help you Man!

"Why AIDS is a bad thing?" Becuase it's the number one killer in Nepal. ANd for your information, no it's not just the poor and the uneducated who are infected. That statement just shows your horrendous class bias as much as it does your lack of awareness.

One of the rising group of infected also happens to be the business entrepreneurs of Nepal who went aborad to :conduct business" and came back to Nepal and either infected their wives or other women in the comunity. There have been some cases of students who went to study abroad who contracted the infection (that's probably a little too close to home for most of the folks who post on this forum)

Finally, I seriously hope you aren't as biased and as cluless as you love to portray yourself...if you are, do yourself a favour and get some awareness...Lord, knows you seem to be in dire need of it!

I wouldn't say anything good and bad about this because it's mostly caused by individual decision. However, one thing we can point out here is that sex work should be regulated. If prostitutes are licensed, made them mandatory for HIV check up every week and stick the certificate in the wall would help little bit to the sex seekers. At the same time, rehabilitatin of the sex workers in the society should be one of good things to do. Are yati ta bujha na yar, nobody wants to be sex worker by their will. There must be many other compulsions. It's need of survival or somebody sells them or many other things. Another thing is Nepal definitely needs sex education through popular media.

"One of the rising group of infected also happens to be the business entrepreneurs of Nepal who went aborad to :conduct business" and came back to Nepal and either infected their wives or other women in the comunity"

So, these people you are referring to are basically clients of sex workers. I agree with you that wives of these pondscums who go abroad and have sex with prostitutes are totally innocent, and I completely sympathize with innocent people who become infected due to the actions of their husbands/boyfriends/spouses, etc. Did you read Arko's post above, the one where he posted pie-charts that break down AIDS in Nepal by subgroups? Look at the first one(the one on the top-left). As you can see, individuals who contract AIDS fall under three MAIN categories: 1)sex workers 2)clients of sex workers and 3)IDUs(probably intravenous drug users). They, in total make up 93% of HIV cases. Do you get it now? Just answer this question. What's the use of having these people around? Furthermore, the people they infect aren't model citizens either. The HIV virus mutates so fast that most drugs prove useless in the long-haul. There are those that are useful in the short-term, but after that most of them prove to be useless because the virus mutates very quickly.
Only 6% of those infected are housewives. So these entrepreneurs with wives fall under this category. Furthermore, not all 6% of them are entrepreneurs or rich. We need to focus on the innocent and forget the rest. Sorry, I have no sympathy for people who engage in extramarital affairs, or have sex with prostitutes. These people deserve a slow, painful death. Anyways, these innocents are collateral damage IMHO.
BTW, why is AIDS called a disease of poverty? In America, African Americans are hit the hardest by AIDS. It is all about poverty, my friend.
There is only one way you can fight AIDS and that is education. People living in poverty are not Nepal's cream of the crop,and nothing can be done about them. This is how I feel. In some African nations a big percentage of people are infected with AIDS. It's because they are not educated, as a result of which they don't practice safe sex.
It is the poor that are affected the most by poverty--people who don't practice safe sex. Nature is practicing eugenics. The rest of us can just sit back and relax.

there are 40 milion people who are infected with aids currently (http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm). lets kill 'em alll. lets make them die 'a slow, painful death and then we will have a reason a rejoice.

Even though, the AIDS vicitm is innocent, the first reaction they face from the people is social rejection which is sad. On top of that, there is no access to medicine. Even if I don't know for fact, I can say pretty certainly about Nepal. Then descriminaton is everywhere - in hospitals, at work, on education and so on. On everything these people have to adjust themselves as lesser of themselves. That kills them more than the disease by itself. AIDS has been labled as developing country's diseases but the irony is all the drugs are patented here is US. And, aS a WTO member (big mercy), Nepal and many other poor countries can't violate that patent and produce generic drugs.

Even if you get infected with disease or not, you are going to die one day anyway. If you don't have disease doesn't mean that you are immortal. Is it? Then, why call the vicitims anything. I mean they are already punished for their faults which can't be reversed. Those who just are innocent victim suffer even more with this attitude.

Thugged Out,

I really fail to see your logic...by extension of it, we should stand by and watch as the entire African Continent gets decimated by the disease. Furthermore, it is called a "poor man's disease" is large measure due to the horrendous fact that the poor are the one's that are most likely to die a much earlier death. People like Magic Johnson, Greg Louganis, Rock Hudson etc are all people who live in the limelight and have all the money in the world; therefore, can afford the AIDS cocktails that cost about $130/pill...not an easy dream for most people in Nepal..which is exactly why we as Nepalese with half a brain and some semblance of heart need to work doubly hard to ensure that people have the dignity of compassion and understanding given to them!

Did you ever stop to think that people NEVER become sex workers by choice--they are a victim of their circumstance. You have been lucky to have the benefits of an education and never had to resort to selling your soul and body in order to have a decent meal..don't look with derision upon others that have been compelled to make the difficult decisions in order to survive.

Don't ask me why I insist in trying to make sense to a person who is adamant to remain ignorant ...maybe it's because I can imagine how hard you and your parent's had to work for your education and I for one believe it's time you made use of it!

Thugged Out,

I apologise if I ended the last post on a more personal than necessary note...but, again, are you playing devil's advocate or do you in all seriousness harbour these astoundingly obnoxious notions as to who's life is worth saving vis-a-vis AIDS in Nepal?

Okay, my posts above were obnoxious. I blew it out of proportion.
Of course I don't want people to die of diseases. I hope they find a cure for AIDS. But still, I would like you to comment on the behavior of these people who contract AIDS. Are you gonna say that you're not gonna pass moral judgement on their behavior? I am talking about people who have sex with prostitutes; people who cheat on their wives and have extramarital affairs; people who are promiscuous; people who do drugs, etc. I concede that we should help people with AIDS, no matter their social backgrounds. My grandparents started out with only Rs. 50, so I totally sympathize with poor people. However, I don't feel sorry for people who contracted AIDS by indulging in any of the decadent practices I mentioned above. I do, however, feel sorry for all the sex workers who are being forced to have sex with strangers against their will.
Okay, be truthful, Nepaali. Do you feel sorry for people who contracted AIDS by having sex with prostitutes? I just don't feel sorry for them. How about people who do drugs? I don't feel sorry for them either. Sex workers? I feel sorry for only those who are in the business against their will( I would suppose so is the case for most Nepali sex workers--I feel sorry for these poor gals), not for those who do it for easy bucks.
The AIDS problem can be alleviated through common sense. To me, it's obvious that a certain group of people with certain behavioral traits are more vulnerable to HIV than, say, people who are moral. Nepal is a pretty conservative society. Therefore, given this fact, AIDS will never destroy Nepal(or India) like it has certain African nations. I just don't see it happening. It will mainly destroy the morally corrupt. Researchers who write books regarding this don't seem to take cultural differences between Africa and Asia, into account. 1% in India, however, is still a pretty big number though.

I am hardly saying that characters of these sex seekers are worth hiding especially when they are going to infect their wives and other women. These people deserve punishment before they contract AIDS. I think there is automatic divorce right granted to the wives of these men involved in adultery by Nepal law. Even though getting divorce doesn't help much to Nepalese women, there is some provision. After these men contract AIDS, they loose most of their reputation anyway not to mention their life which they abused.

The question is epidemic of AIDS could be minimized for these sex workers in first place by regulating it. Amsterdam has legalized prostitution and that has reduced if not eliminated women trafficking and improved working conditions of the prostitutes there. Nepal could follow similar laws for the sex worker if they are so oppressed in the society. That way, some willing ones will do and forced prostitution will go down. If a girl is made prostitute forcibly in her teenager, she may just want to remain prostitute legally given the circumstance that the society can't rehabilitate her after the first incidents. This scenario can't be called somebody doing it by her choice.

No matter, how much we argue here, the prostitution existed since ancient time and it will exist forever. So, the best option is to regulate it wherever it is found. There are brothels in Las Vegas too, fully legalized. They were showing that on TV. It just becomes more problem in a country like Nepal.

Thugged Out,

It's not my place to pass moral judgments on others; having said that, do I think that philandering husbands/boyfriends etc who infect their unknowing wives/girlfriends ought to be punished. Yes, of course they should be, but, don't you think that having to face a certain, slow and painful death is punishment enough?

We aren't doing anyone favours by resorting to vitriol. The need of the hour is education of the populace. The notions of who gets AIDS and what happens to them is so severe in Nepal that people who live with the infection live horrendously miserable lives. I presume you think that a process of social ostracization against these folks would help, but what of their children? Do you ostracise them as well? The current scenario in Nepal is cexactly that. When one person contracts the infection, the entire family is shunned by everyone in the community but all that does is lead to isolation and further ignorance of the masses.

It's no longer about morality. People are being infected in all manner of ways. A substantial number of infections a few years ago was because the blood bank in Nepal was not checking blood prior to infections and a couple of folks were infected. The commercial sex workers as I said earlier, are nothing other than victims of their circustances and all too often, victim's of other people's brutality whereby they are sold unknowingly and have to work to "earn" their freedom.

This I know will be an ongoing debate..or rather I hope it will be. I know that Nepal has other problems to grappel with i.e Monarchy vs. Democracy but we also need to be cognizant of these massive issues that have always been swept under the carpet because the fact is that ignorance is doing a stellar job of leading to flabergasting number of infections every year.