Lausanne World Pulse – Themed Articles – The Prophetic Role of the Church in Egypt Toward HIV/AIDS
One of the major problems we face when dealing with HIV/AIDS is deficient or incomplete knowledge, especially concerning how this disease is transmitted from one person to another. To what extent can a person deal with people who have HIV/AIDS?
HIV/AIDS is a very weak virus that cannot be transmitted through shaking hands, hugging, kissing, using the bathroom and all other normal daily contacts. HIV/AIDS is transmitted only through unsafe sex, blood, mother-to-baby transmission and lactation.
Although there has been a decline in infection rates in some countries and positive trends in young people’s sexual behaviors, the global AIDS epidemic continues to grow. There is even compelling evidence that some countries are experiencing a resurgence in new HIV infection rates which were previously stable or declining.
An estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV.
According to the latest figures published in the UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006, with 2.8 million (sixty-five percent) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, statistics showed that infection rates have risen by more than fifty percent since 2004.
In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
Middle East and North Africa
AIDS epidemics in the Middle East and North Africa region are diverse. An estimated sixty-eight thousand people contracted HIV in 2006, making the total number of people infected 460,000 persons. Most reported HIV infections have been in men; however, the proportion of infected women is increasing (UNAIDS, 2006).
The impact of HIV/AIDS is far-reaching. It affects not only those who are infected but indirectly affects families, friends, employers and others. HIV/AIDS reduces possibilities for poverty eradication; it may even contribute to increased poverty rates. HIV/AIDS affects health services, education systems, economic growth, emotional well-being and family and community stability. Consequently, governments, development organizations, churches and communities strive to address the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS.
Christian Response to HIV/AIDS
To save future generations, we must understand that HIV/AIDS is not just a biological issue; it is a general issue that needs to be confronted by governments, health ministries, justice ministries, media and religious leaders.
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Rev. Andrea Z. Stephanous is vice president of the Protestant Community of Egypt and director of Dar El Thaqafa Communications House, Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services. He received his doctorate in religions and theology from the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK in 2003. |