OLD HIV/AIDS STORY REVISITED

There is a book in Papua New Guinea prepared in 2004-2006 by

National AIDS Council Secretariat with support of the Australian

Government through the National HIV Support Project.

It is entitled Introduction to HIV and AIDS Participant’s Manual.

I wrote a review in 2007 in which I was deeply critical of child-like

lack of understanding of HIV/AIDS. I have opened the book again

to see if my response has mellowed.

But I find that the response is even stronger in criticism of the foolish

errors made at Australian taxpayers’ expense.

In the first review, my focus was on the emphasis on gender equity

for women and girls. There was no focus on men except to describe

the ways they abuse women and girls. There was no advice to men.

There was no mention of violence of women to men or children. No

advice was given on gay/lesbian domestic violence. Violence to the

children is very much in the hands of mothers and aunties. Step

mothers are well known to abuse their step children.

Young PNG women armed with mobile phones are becoming

known for exploiting men both national and expatriate. A phone

gives them the opportunity to contact any man to lie, cheat and

gather money. There is a two way sexual exploitation going on.

But a big problem in this book is complete lack of understanding

of HIV/AIDS. It sets out the old story of virus destroying CD4

cells with a rise in opportunistic infections and death.

There is no mention whatever of the attack of the virus on the gut

lining, break-down of the capacity of the gut to absorb nutrients

and the destruction of the gut by the attack of the coccidian gut

parasites particularly among gay anus licking men.

There are blatantly false statements in this book that make me feel

ashamed that the book was prepared by Australian AIDS advisors.

We are told that AIDS is the late stage of infection with HIV.  It

is characterized by a range of signs and symptoms.

This is only partly true. There is no mention of the fever that can

occur at the point in time two weeks from infection, probably

caused by the millions of HIV breaking for the first time out of

the CD4 cells in blood and the gut wall.

Or caused by the gut bacteria translocating from the gut through

the gut wall into the gut capillaries on route throughout the body

including the brain. Translocating is the medical term.

The stage of AIDS is when body systems start to break down

as gut lining is slowly destroyed. It is not just about the break

down of the immune system and rise of opportunistic infections.

There is no mention of danger to gay men of break down of

the gut lining from coccidian gut parasites that destroy further

the capacity of the body to absorb nutrients, salts and water.

AIDS is the time when the body ceases to function properly.

The loss of nutrients, salts and water does great damage. The

water-salt balance is grossly upset, affecting the respiration,

digestion, metabolism and brain function.

There is a range of symptoms in a person not on ARV that include

loss of body weight, loss of finger/toe nails, hair, diarrhoea and

dementia/delirium.

With dementia/delirium, there can be fear, paranoia, forgetfulness,

violence, delusions and hallucinations. The virus and break-down

in body systems will harm the functioning of the brain.

There is no mention whatever of the importance of nutrition in building

up the cells and tissues. The ARV stops the attack on the gut lining

by killing the virus in the blood. Strong nutrition and clean water do

the rest.

Then the book goes on to say there are no symptoms of AIDS. There

are only signs and symptoms of infections that occur. Not true. The old

story is never far away.

The book touches on Positive Living but there is a foolish explanation

based on a tank full of water. As an experienced trainer of HIV/AIDS,

I know that participants on workshops would have no idea of what was

intended.

They would go home to their villages to say that people with HIV/AIDS

have to have a tank of water and turn the tap on every day. Analogies do

not work with uneducated people.

If the book was published in 2006, the advisors have no excuse. The first

reports on the attack on the gut came out on Google in 2005. There has

been no acceptance up to the present as if the new advice was that the

world was round, not flat.

Perhaps it was a political decision. AusAID did not want to admit error

and recall and rewrite all the reference books. Just keep to the old story.