More US Mischief On AIDS?

ON page 19 of The Namibian dated 31 October 2007, I read an article with the heading; ‘AIDS virus invaded the US from Haiti in 1969: Study’.

As an African I found the article really very disturbing. I might not be a scientist, but I believe that the education I have as well as the exposure I have had to the international diplomatic and political arenas affords me the opportunity to question the motives of such findings as I continuously search for answers to my quests as a member of the developing world.The article, released from Washington, a city which sometimes if not most of the time lends itself to lots of international mischief because of being the capital of what the world terms the only superpower, the USA, immediately starts off with a military verb – ‘invasion’ as well as an accusation that “The AIDS virus invaded the United States in about 1969 from Haiti”.In about the fifth paragraph of the article the following is reported; “They found that HIV was brought to Haiti by an infected person from central Africa in about 1966…” In other words Africa is once again an epidemiological disaster! Apparently the Africans of central Africa ate chimpanzees, which was responsible for transferring the disease.I think this report needs to be tabled before the next Heads of State AU Summit or it must be presented to the Pan-African Parliament.In Africa we have a delicacy which we call bush meat.This meat has been eaten for centuries on the continent.Seeing that Africa is once again being blamed for the woes of the world, why does the world not finance a continuous, intense continental investigation on the African continent itself instead of throwing out such negative propaganda to a continent that is standing tall as it takes on the challenges of the twenty-first century? How do we know if the finding might not be that someone from the US ate an antelope or a buffalo and visited Africa? A newspaper report in the middle of a daily newspaper in an African capital is not enough.Those US professors need to give more detail to the world and in particular to the continent of Africa and the African diaspora.I am sorry, but once again I see this as mischief orchestrated by a US State department with an infinite budget under a possible heading called Propaganda Against Third World Countries or something like that.I would appreciate it if you could assist me to contact these scientists for more specific information M W Sharpley KhomasdalI might not be a scientist, but I believe that the education I have as well as the exposure I have had to the international diplomatic and political arenas affords me the opportunity to question the motives of such findings as I continuously search for answers to my quests as a member of the developing world.The article, released from Washington, a city which sometimes if not most of the time lends itself to lots of international mischief because of being the capital of what the world terms the only superpower, the USA, immediately starts off with a military verb – ‘invasion’ as well as an accusation that “The AIDS virus invaded the United States in about 1969 from Haiti”.In about the fifth paragraph of the article the following is reported; “They found that HIV was brought to Haiti by an infected person from central Africa in about 1966…” In other words Africa is once again an epidemiological disaster! Apparently the Africans of central Africa ate chimpanzees, which was responsible for transferring the disease.I think this report needs to be tabled before the next Heads of State AU Summit or it must be presented to the Pan-African Parliament.In Africa we have a delicacy which we call bush meat.This meat has been eaten for centuries on the continent.Seeing that Africa is once again being blamed for the woes of the world, why does the world not finance a continuous, intense continental investigation on the African continent itself instead of throwing out such negative propaganda to a continent that is standing tall as it takes on the challenges of the twenty-first century? How do we know if the finding might not be that someone from the US ate an antelope or a buffalo and visited Africa? A newspaper report in the middle of a daily newspaper in an African capital is not enough.Those US professors need to give more detail to the world and in particular to the continent of Africa and the African diaspora.I am sorry, but once again I see this as mischief orchestrated by a US State department with an infinite budget under a possible heading called Propaganda Against Third World Countries or something like that.I would appreciate it if you could assist me to contact these scientists for more specific information M W Sharpley Khomasdal