EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC IN AFRICA

The HIV/AIDS infection is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse. In fact more than 95% of the disease is transmitted through sexual intercourse. Africa South of the Sahara has about 76% of all the persons infected in the world.

By A.S Ngwana

Africans traditionally have an excessive love for many children. Normally if a man marries a woman and she cannot produce children or the number of children he wants, he usually marries another woman or women. That is why Africans are traditionally polygamous. This encouraged fornication and promiscuity. Fornication is not considered an offence or a sin by many African cultures. Instead it is admired as veritable manhood.

The HIV/AIDS virus thrives and spreads mainly in promiscuous societies and has found Africa a fertile ground.

The Catholic Church has been criticized for being too conservative and too strict against sexual matters, but the Church does not bulge and insists on teaching God’s Commandments on all matters concerning faith and morals.

Abortion is a criminal offence in Cameroon and in many African Countries. The law only permits abortion in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the woman is threatened. The Catholic Church however forbids abortion in all cases under penalty of excommunication, as happened of recent in the case of the American nun Margaret McBride. Divorce, Adultery, Prostitution, Fornication, Homosexuality, all types of artificial birth control methods, including Condoms and the Pill, are forbidden by the Catholic Church as sinful.

In particular Catholics are forbidden to use the Pill, or artificial birth control methods or condoms as means of spacing out their children. Instead they are advised to observe abstinence, fidelity, self control and mortification.

These moral teachings of the Catholic Church have helped in the prevention of the spread of the HIV epidemic in those African Countries with a higher Catholic population.

For example:

In Uganda where Catholics are 43% of the population, the HIV rate has fallen from 15% in 1991 to 4% in 2004 using the formula ABSTINENCE and FIDELITY (but only using condoms where fidelity and abstinence are unacceptable or impossible). (ABC formula)

In Swaziland where Catholics are 5% of the population, the HIV rate is 42%

In Botswana where Catholics are 4% of the population, the HIV rate is 37%

In South Africa where Catholics are 6% of the population, the HIV rate is 22%

The most effective way to fight against HIV/AIDS epidemic is prevention since no cure has been found yet. Africa has been flooded with condoms and the more condoms imported the higher the HIV infections rates. Condoms have failed and instead aggravated the situation.

Therefore the only effective way of prevention as proven, is ABSTINENCE before marriage and FIDELITY in marriage.

Sex education in schools, should be restricted to teaching children the values of sex and not the biology and techniques of sex. Youngsters will want to experiment if given the wrong information about sex. There is time for everything.

People should know that sex is a wonderful thing created by God for the continuation of His work of creation. Couples continue this work by procreating other human beings. As such, the main object of sex is procreation, joined to it, the happiness, enjoyment and satisfaction in mind and body of the couples. Therefore the sexual act is a monopoly of married people-a man and a woman.

Until a cure is found for the HIV/AIDS infection, we Africans have to modify our sexual behaviors, and control our excessive love for many children.

ABSTINENCE AND FIDELITY ARE THE SURE ANSWER.