THE CHURH AND THE HIV/AIDS MENACE

THE CHURH AND THE HIV/AIDS MENACE

The threat of HIV/AIDS is growing daily. It is a threat that is invisible (until you are faced with its devastating results), totally indiscriminate (making its claims on people of every nationality, ethnic group and religion), cuts across political, geographic, social and economic barrier (respect no one) and has grown over the last 20years to points of global crisis.

According to recent UNAIDS research, about 47.3 million people have been infected with the virus since its start (4.4 million of them, children under age 15) and 13.9 million people are already dead (3.2 million of them children under age 15) .1998 reports estimated 33.4 million people living with the infection (32.2 million adults and 1.2 million children under 15) and about 5.8 million new infections (about 16000 new cases per day).

Also according to Wess Stafford, president of the Compassion International (a Christian Organisation), 6000 people die of AIDS every day (the 4th leading cause of death in the world), 20 million people have already died of AIDS since it began about 20 years ago, 42 million people are living with it and about 14 million children have been orphaned by it. The disease is so deadly that the medical community has not been able to find a defence let alone a cure for the disease.

What really is HIV/AIDS?
HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. There are at least 2 main types-HIV 1 and HIV 2 (HIV-1 subtype o was isolated in Cameroon in 1994). AIDS is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a group of clinical symptoms that characterise the HIV infection. By destroying the cells of the immune system, HIV interferes with the body's ability to effectively fight off viruses, bacteria and fungi thereby making the body more susceptible to opportunistic infections that it would normally have resisted .AIDS is the later stage of the disease. People don't die directly from HIV. HIV simply weakens the body's system defence making it vulnerable to almost anything else. The infection manifests in three major phases: the acute phase (window or seronegative Stage because an HIV seronegical test carried out at this time will turn out negative).It last for 3-6 months. Common symptoms are fever, sore throats and swollen lymph nodes. A person at this stage capable of passing on the virus. The asymptomatic phase is the period of seroconversion when antibodies against HIV appear. This period lasts between 0-10 and more years. The AIDS stage (stage of sickness) is the period when clinical diagnosis can be made. The risk of transmission of the disease increases with the stage of the disease. It is worthy to note that HIV causes AIDS but not all persons having HIV are suffering from AIDS. It is important to diagnose HIV early enough as this will help stop the HIV infection from progressing into AIDS and this will help create an HIV free population because people who know they are seronegative would want to keep themselves negative.

The virus is contracted mainly through blood and blood products, through sexual contact with infected people, through contaminated instruments and through mother-to-child in the womb, during birth and during breastfeeding. It is important that people know their serological status in time as this will help stop or slow the progression of HIV to AIDS. It will also help them live longer and healthier, stay in their jobs and be able to take better care of themselves etc. For the moment, the medical community continues to research for a solution more optimistic than it was 20years ago. If we are to find hope in the midst of this hopeless situation then we must turn to GOD and the BIBLE.

Some in the religious community say that there is no need for treatment. All that is needed is unyielding faith in God's power and healing will definitely come. The scripture talks of legitimacy of doctors and medical treatment as well as the priority of praying to the great physician. In matt 9:12 Christ expressed the value of physicians. Here he implied that just as a person who is physically sick needs a physician so also a person who is spiritually sick needs Christ. Other scriptures that can help with this view are Lk 10:30-37, Isaiah 37:21,Ex.29:14,Dt:23:12-14 (talks about sanitation), Lev.11:47 talks about hygiene and diet all pointing to various elements of the use of medical means to secure good health. Also Antiretroviral were being sold for about 400.000fcfa-500.000fcfa some years ago and today they are selling at 3.000fcfa-7.000fcfa. We see that this is a miracle of God to help the situation until a permanent solution is got.

There is however this reality that regardless of the means involved it is God who heals. So as we seek medical help, we pray to the great physician for healing and allow the problem in His wisdom whose compassion never fails and whose mercies are new every morning (Lam 3:22-23). How do we pray at such times? According to His will (1 John 5:14-15 ) knowing also that no matter how much we want physical healing there is within each of us the true person (the soul )which will live forever somewhere (2 Cor.5:1-2 ). In the midst of suffering the hope of eternal life should bring more hope to the sufferer than anything else. Eternal life is a gift of God, offered freely to all who will accept it by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

It is time for us all to know our HIV serological status. Those who are seronegative should do all to remain negative and those who are seropositive should seek medical attention early enough so as to remain healthy.

It is also time for Christians to show a Christ like attitude and to rise up in action on behalf of the suffering (those infected and those orphaned and widowed by this infection).