Scary News....

[Samatr]

this should be made a sticky, no pun intended.

[Mondey]

gedo-girl, both are responsible the whore and the man but a woman plays a greater role in distributing this disease than a man, every body knows it. anyway the point here is stopping illegal sexual relations is the only way to prevent it.

some ppl need to stop legitimizing and promoting sex outside marriage as if its not a root cause for this disease.

[ManD333q]

This is what I've always said test your partner before getting married...but people think I'm crazy and paranoid
but I would be offended if he asked me to ..

[salool]

Inta naag miskiinad oo gurigeeda iska joogta la qaadsiyey tiro ma leh.Ilaahy hadu ninka imaanka ka qaadeya bal mu naagtisa iska furo, saqajaan maydhan ba aduunka ka buuxa.

[Avicenna]

Mondey - the earliest ever HIV/AIDS patients were actually men, gay men to be more precise in San Francisco and New York. Men introduced it to women. Not sure why you're trying to pin it on women?

HIV being a lentivirus only makes it's detection all the more difficult. You don't have to be promiscuous to end up with it either. The biggest public health nuisance plaguing countries like Somalia, which is more of a concern is the spread of these infections intravenously or through blood transfusion than anything else. You could be the most pious person on the planet and still end up with it because some careless nurse decided to recycle medical supplies or some healthcare worker messed up somewhere. It's not as black & white as you people are making it. People contract retroviruses in ths most elusive ways all the time and HIV is no different. Not to dismiss it's STD traits.

An even bigger infectious epidemic that's been rampant within the Somali community for decades has been the spread of hepatitis, specially type B, which ultimately becomes C and easily develops in to a chronic liver condition like psoriasis of the liver. I know of numerous couples that all of a sudden both have it because one of them had it and never disclosed if. Ask any Somali if they know what "cagaarshoow" is and chances are that they know someone who has it. I think we just need to be informed individuals who shouldn't shy away from asking the right questions of their future spouses, no matter how mundane. No way am I going to gamble with my health by taking everything at face value.

[Lamagoodle]

Mondey, I do respect your stance but I think we should put our moral and religious daggers aside. This is a horrible disease. It is spreading among all societies. Most of the countries in the world have reduced its verocity by promoting condoms and through information.

In the same context, there is a taboo surrounding it which makes it difficult to screen, identify victims and provide treatement and much more to inform the public of its hazard.

The sheikhs have failed us. They should inform the public about it

You know as well as me that we somalis only adhere to core values in islam in public. In private we are murderers, adulterers and booty chasers (excuse me for the word) . Poverty and economic uneveness is another factor.

Hiding behind only those who engage in "Zinah" will catch the disease is nonsense saaxib. We have to admit that this disease is out there and will kill our people. The only way to fight is through information and promote condomes.

FYI, check this link and access the articles on HIV and the somali diaspora
http://scholar.google.se/scholar?q=HIV%2C+Somalis&hl=sv

[Niya]

but a woman plays a greater role in distributing this disease than a man, every body knows it.

.

Monday,

Care to elaborate what you are basing the above statement? Facts/stats/numbers or sheekada xaafada??

[tightrope]

This is what I've always said test your partner before getting married...but people think I'm crazy and paranoid
but I would be offended if he asked me to ..

WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IS IMPORTANT AND SHOULD COME FIRST

[MrSinister]

the best way to stop spread of std is for you ladies to stop spreading your legs to every farax joe and jose. if your a virgin muslim girl and marry good man, you will be ok.

[eliteSomali]

Mondey - the earliest ever HIV/AIDS patients were actually men, gay men to be more precise in San Francisco and New York. Men introduced it to women. Not sure why you're trying to pin it on women?

HIV being a lentivirus only makes it's detection all the more difficult. You don't have to be promiscuous to end up with it either. The biggest public health nuisance plaguing countries like Somalia, which is more of a concern is the spread of these infections intravenously or through blood transfusion than anything else. You could be the most pious person on the planet and still end up with it because some careless nurse decided to recycle medical supplies or some healthcare worker messed up somewhere. It's not as black & white as you people are making it. People contract retroviruses in ths most elusive ways all the time and HIV is no different. Not to dismiss it's STD traits.

An even bigger infectious epidemic that's been rampant within the Somali community for decades has been the spread of hepatitis, specially type B, which ultimately becomes C and easily develops in to a chronic liver condition like psoriasis of the liver. I know of numerous couples that all of a sudden both have it because one of them had it and never disclosed if. Ask any Somali if they know what "cagaarshoow" is and chances are that they know someone who has it. I think we just need to be informed individuals who shouldn't shy away from asking the right questions of their future spouses, no matter how mundane. No way am I going to gamble with my health by taking everything at face value.

The Idea of AIDS originating from homosexual couple is nothing short of apocryphal and is repugnant one at that. However, gays are more prone to this disease because the anus is NOT naturally lubricated as the vagina, therefore making the vagina more suitable for intercourse.

[gedo_gurl]

^^The gay community is very small...if you are a sociable gay (who spends time in 'the scene') the chances of you getting it is high as people sleep with the same people or their is little degree of separation between people. Thats why it spreads so fast amongst them.

[eliteSomali]

^true but I was referring to originality of it. I've heard of gays that have switched paths and inadvertently brought the disease to women!

[UlteriorMotive]

Although it is admirable to be cautious...I think you guys are scaremongering a tad too much. The Aids level among the Somalis (both in the diaspora and back home) is no where near the levels of other communities e.g African American females..Africans...and does not warrant a particularly Somali orientated response.

Though Somalis who are raised in the hedonistic west are more promiscuous...we are fortunate that this type of lifestyle is increasing when the rate of Aids is decreasing in the west thus we have a reduced chance of having an epidemic in our community.

Of course, guys who are running through loose booty should always keep their soldier strapped.

[eliteSomali]

Although it is admirable to be cautious...I think you guys are scaremongering a tad too much. The Aids level among the Somalis (both in the diaspora and back home) is no where near the levels of other communities e.g African American females..Africans...and does not warrant a particularly Somali orientated response.

Though Somalis who are raised in the hedonistic west are more promiscuous...we are fortunate that this type of lifestyle is increasing when the rate of Aids is decreasing in the west thus we have a reduced chance of having an epidemic in our community.

Of course, guys who are running through loose booty should always keep their soldier strapped.

You seem to be ignoring a key factor. The population of Somalis in the diaspora isn't proportionate or even close to the others you mentioned. So of course an eyebrow should be raised when AIDS becomes evident and noted amongst a population of 30thousand people. African Americans make up 15 % of the united states population whilst we make less than 1 percent. How are we comparable with respect to AIDS?

[UlteriorMotive]

I actually meant proprtionally/percentage wise not just sheer numbers. Proportionally, how many Somalis have aids...most likely no one knows...so either it has exploded without us noticing or the more likely explanation: it is negligible.

My point is..of course we shouldn't be complacent...but coming across or hearing about a few Somalis with aids doesn't mean we have an epidemic. Ppl are saying Somali youth are more sexually active in the west...yes, but they also benefit from the sex education on offer there as well as access to condoms and clinics. They are in the same boat as everybody else in the west...even better actually because sexual liberalism is alien to us.

Today, women account for more than 1 in 4 new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Of these newly infected women, about 2 in 3 are African-American. Most of these women got HIV from having unprotected sex with a man.

When we're putting up those stats is when we need a Somali aids campaign. Right now Somalis have bigger priorities IMO. Start an education campaign for all the kids we're losing out here.