The findings of Edward C Green and Rand L Stoneburner are rock solid and the facts speak for themselves. Condoms are not the answer for AIDS in Africa, as the scientific experts (Green and Stoneburner), the Ugandan community of faith (www.uceglobal.org), and the Pope have all concluded. Will those with financial resources now consider funding efforts that are both culturally appropriate and scientifically based?
The facts show that condoms did not play a big role in the Ugandan success of the 1990’s.The graphs published in SCIENCE (30 April 2004) show the evidence that the Ugandans had already changed their behavior to abstinence and faithfulness prior to 1995 when condoms began coming into Uganda along with the returning westerners for whom Uganda had been previously unsafe. (post Idi Amin and Milton Obote regimes).
Behavior change of abstinence and being faithful (AB) is substantiated by simple condom math, utilizing the data on actual numbers of condoms that came into Uganda as reported by Douglas Kirby (9/2008) as well as population estimates from 1990. From 1987 to 1995, each Ugandan man aged 15 or older had, at best, 2-5 condoms in a year that he had any condoms at all. (www.uceglobal.blogspot.com)
How can a scientist continue to claim that condoms played any significant role in the Ugandan success? It is time to listen to the words of Sam L. Ruteikara, co-chair of Uganda’s National AIDS-Prevention Committee in an editorial to the Washington Post 6/30/08 “…Most HIV infections in Africa are spread by sex outside of marriage: casual sex and infidelity. The solution is faithful love. So hear my plea, HIV-AIDS profiteers. Let my people go. We understand that casual sex is dear to you, but staying alive is dear to us. Listen to African wisdom, and we will show you how to prevent AIDS.”
Can we be humble enough to fund the indigenous behavior change strategies that have worked in Uganda? If the scientific community cannot, maybe the rest of us can. Time is short and a race is at risk.
Kim K Dernovsek MD
The text above is the text of my online Letter to the Editor of Forbes commenting on the story “A Jihad on the AIDS Mafia” about Edward C Green in which Dr. Green asks, “How can a secod-or third-rate contraceptive be our best weapon in the war against AIDS?”
