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U.S. Anti-AIDS Abstinence Efforts in Africa Fail to Prevent HIV
Scientific American ^ | May 6, 2016 | Christine Gorman

Posted on 12/17/2016 4:14:20 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

Washington spent more than $1 billion telling people in 14 African countries not to have sex before they get married. It didn’t work

Over the past 15 years the U.S. has spent $1.4 billion promoting abstinence before marriage as a way of preventing HIV in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, according to the most comprehensive, independent study conducted to date of the effort, the money was pretty much wasted.

A rigorous comparison of national data from countries that received abstinence funding under the 2003 U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with those that had not showed no difference in the age of first sexual experience, number of sexual partners or teenage pregnancies—all aspects of behaviors that have been linked to a higher risk of becoming infected with HIV.

Instead, the study showed, the single most important factor associated with lower levels of risky behavior was the number of years women remained in school.

Other efforts that have proved effective in slowing the spread of HIV include treating the infection in pregnant women so they do not pass the virus on to their newborns.

So why did PEPFAR spend so much money on abstinence programs? That was Congress’s idea. Responding to pressure from religious conservatives, the legislature mandated in 2003 that at least a third of PEPFAR’s prevention budget be spent on telling people to refrain from sex before marriage. That specific requirement was dropped in the 2008 bill that reauthorized the program and PEPFAR has spent progressively less money on abstinence education over the intervening years.

Still, the study’s authors point out, PEPFAR allocated $45 million to abstinence education in 2013. “There is a big opportunity cost there,” Lo says. “It’s not necessarily a benign expenditure.”...

Although the latest findings about PEPFAR’s prevention efforts are disappointing—if not infuriating—its treatment programs have been entirely more successful. A previous study by Bendavid in 2009 and another in 2012 showed that the government initiative has saved at least a million lives by making anti-HIV medications more widely available for those who need them.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: africa; aids; antiabstinence; childrape; gwb; hiv
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To: Dutch Boy

Aids on the African continent his primarily spread by heterosexual transmission.

They are pretty active over there. You should assume that only the wee minority of people are monogamous. Families seem to be fluid (think BHO’s clan). Polygamy is not unusual and girlfriends come and go along with the wives. Some share the same dwelling with the kids all mixed in together. I’m not sure how incest is kept in check between step-siblings or cousins. It’s bound to happen a lot. And maybe that’s one of problems with the continent’s overall development. This familial situation is ripe for the spread any disease in that kind of environment.

With the end of colonial installed governments, the social mores have become increasingly tribal and it’s doubtful that the regimes in power care much about restrictions and whom is breeding with whom.

South Africa once had very strict rules and restrictions on travel under Apartheid. Aids and most STD’s were unknown or minute. After the government changed, and travel was open. It is understood that all men traveling into the cities for work are free to engage prostitutes. Many became invected and then unknowingly returned and invected the wife and unborn or suckling children. They went from zero Aids to over 5 million infected in less than ten years. Now they are down to about 17% which is about 40% of the sexually active people that live there. It’s like a slow form of Russian Roulette.

Places like Uganda and Kenya where abstinence is preached are at 6-7%. ****


41 posted on 12/17/2016 11:06:22 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: deadrock

Civilization, Commerce and Christianity.

No one will save the whites, the writings on the wall, they need to exit asap.


42 posted on 12/17/2016 11:10:45 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: Jim Noble; Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
AIDS activists hate and work to suppress abstinence programs, because they contradict their prime underlying message of radical sexual freedom.

The exact same thing can be said for a different group:

"ABORTION activists hate and work to suppress abstinence programs, because they contradict their prime underlying message of radical sexual freedom."

43 posted on 12/17/2016 11:16:06 AM PST by thecodont
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To: patriot08

The cure was supposed to be to ‘rape a virgin.’ And after they rape a child and find they still have Aids, they just keep raping younger and younger to find the virgin babies.

Birth control can be very difficult to explain. The men often steal the wive’s pills for himself claiming the seed comes from him, therefore he must take it in order not to impregnate her/ them.

Rapex, a Female Condom-Like Anti-Rape Device. GO. Rapex was patented in South Africa. ...
Rapex is a condom-like anti-rape device which has fish-like teeth.
It Needs to be surgically removed at the Emergency room.


44 posted on 12/17/2016 11:21:14 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: rb22982
about the question of spending American tax payers money in aid of us here in south africa - at this time after decades of receiving from you - we have a few million people more alive than dead and a reasonable health service - largely because of this money. Your name sound to us like empathetic, humane even christian at times. Like the good Book say what price do you pay for a good name?
45 posted on 12/17/2016 11:21:22 AM PST by thankiyou (and let such that love thy salvation say continualy ...)
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To: riri

Yes.


46 posted on 12/17/2016 11:22:46 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

Seems to me a little basic math would infer that all the money was wasted and that 2/3 of it went to “traditional” liberal sex education including spreading the deadly myth of prophylactics. So the majority of the failure lies with liberal policy, yet the lead is abstinence programs fail. More fake news from the propaganda organs...


47 posted on 12/17/2016 11:28:24 AM PST by antidisestablishment ( We few, we happy few, we basket of deplorables)
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To: thankiyou

Glad that the USA was able to help stop AIDS in South Africa. The rate has dropped and many lives are saved! Very good news!

If the sexual conduct could be changed and unmarried people would promise not to have sex, you could save many lives. It’s easy to save yourself and live a happier longer life. Live to see your children and grandchildren grow. That is joy!

South African people have the power in Christ to live by his example and follow the Bible’s teachings for all things, especially family.

The countries of Kenya and Uganda have the Aids rate down to 6-7% due to abstinence - stopping sex. I hope that you can spread that word and save some lives and heartache in South Africa. It is the best way to stop AIDS and all the sexual diseases.

1 husband + 1 wife produces children and no sex-diseases like HIV/AIDS.

God Bless You and yours.


48 posted on 12/17/2016 11:38:53 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: thankiyou

How many were killed by warlords taking US money though? Why is Africa no better off than 50 years ago?


49 posted on 12/17/2016 11:47:17 AM PST by rb22982
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To: thankiyou

Do not listen to that because he is unfamiliar with how the program works in SA.

50 years-

Those issues are very deep and can not be addressed without a long discussion.

This is about stopping the spread of AIDS and progress has been made.


50 posted on 12/17/2016 11:58:47 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: thankiyou

My wound care nurse, Thaddeus, is from South Africa.


51 posted on 12/17/2016 11:59:02 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: rb22982

Saving Lives

In 2015, PEPFAR’s co-investment in support of the SAG and implementing partners has contributed to the following achievements:

Life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 2.9 million people

Voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention for more than 472,047 men

HIV testing and counseling for more than 9.8 million people

Care and support for 408,969 orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS

Antiretroviral medications for 266,369 pregnant women living with HIV to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission

RB- Let’s welcome a newcomer all the way from S. Africa !!! yeah.


52 posted on 12/17/2016 12:05:47 PM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: thankiyou

People in the United States believe in donating to good causes. The needs of Africa have been great. I am happy that as a people we could help out.

There isn’t just money flowing to Africa. There are also other ways Americans have helped out.

Private donations of money, time, missionaries, clinics, schools, vaccinations, and other medications, and help with clean water resources have been provided to Africa.

America has been blessed with a good standard of living. It is also noteworthy that when things are tough in the U.S., we as a people continue to give.

Some of us are not big supporters of our government doing this. It is not our government’s job to do this. What the government takes from citizens needs to be spent on very specific things that our Constitution has specified.

Other than that one point, I’m glad people have been generous with their donations. I am very happy that you have seen improvement. Your short note was nice to read.

All the best to you and those who need the help.


53 posted on 12/17/2016 12:36:38 PM PST by DoughtyOne (jcon40, "Are we be coming into the age of Sanity?")
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To: CincyRichieRich

Actually, this program is not trending well in S. Africa

According to the National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Sero-prevalence Survey of the percentage of pregnant women with HIV per year:

The rate has gone up from 22.4 to 30.2 over a span of 11 years. That’s UP for pregnant over 5%. This means the babies are infected and we are paying for the retroivirals.

That really is a shame and highlights a failed plan. What are they doing?

And the deaths that are being recorded to to AIDS when actually they were not is very misleading as well.

In 2010, an estimated 280,000 South Africans died from the effects of HIV/AIDS. In ten years preceding, it is estimated that between 42% and 47% of all deaths among South Africans were HIV/AIDS deaths. However, the Death Notification Forms Survey of 2010, which estimates a 93% completion rate, shows that out of a total of 543,856 deaths nationwide only 18,325 deaths were attributed to HIV/AIDS Diseases.

So 280,000 AIDS deaths claimed vs. 18,325 actual AIDS deaths.

Things that make us go hmmm.


54 posted on 12/17/2016 12:36:46 PM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

Should have pinged you.


55 posted on 12/17/2016 12:40:59 PM PST by DoughtyOne (jcon40, "Are we be coming into the age of Sanity?")
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To: DoughtyOne

He didn’t return, maybe later.

I hope this program is doing much better in the other countries because as you can see by the post above, the money is not well spent in S. Africa. And I merely peeked, but could not find anything positive to brag about.

Another stat showed that the rate had dropped among sexually active younger people due to condoms. But the overall national AIDS rate was climbing higher. This is not good, not at all.


56 posted on 12/17/2016 1:05:53 PM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: DoughtyOne

Thanks for posting.


57 posted on 12/17/2016 1:06:23 PM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ('45 will be the best ever.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

Yes, I’ve read about Rapex.
wonderful invention


58 posted on 12/17/2016 1:22:06 PM PST by patriot08 (5th generation Texan-(girl type) We won! Ok, Donald, let's ROLL!)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

No, it isn’t good at all.

Monogamy


59 posted on 12/17/2016 1:29:48 PM PST by DoughtyOne (jcon40, "Are we be coming into the age of Sanity?")
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

My pleasure.

Didn’t rally know what to say other than that.


60 posted on 12/17/2016 1:30:43 PM PST by DoughtyOne (jcon40, "Are we be coming into the age of Sanity?")
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