A message to all Ethiopians !
Are we blinded to the AIDS epidemic and its
   impact? It is beyond the scope of my capacity to try to explain the unique
   nature of Ethiopia and it's rich history in any vocabulary.  However, allow me to
   share with you some views from some great people. -Can the Ethiopian change
   his skin or the leopardhis spots. Jeremiah,X111,23 -Homer refers to Ethiopia as a
   "blameless race" -It is one of the most spectacularly beautiful countries in the
   world.  John Gunter -The Aethiopians slept near a thousand years, forgetful of
   the world,by whom they were forgotten. Edward Gibbon Ethiopia remained
   unconquered ,until Mussolini,for almost 3 thousand years ,even during the hey
   day of the European scramble for Africa.  In Ethiopia, the equation characteristic of colonial Africa is reversed.  Europeans work  for Africans, not vice versa.  The history and root of our country represents an invaluable and irreplaceable heritage that will be proud to pass on to our descendants.We need to,keep it that way.

Today,HIV/AIDS is jeoparadizing the existance of our community.  Aids is killing the briliance of our own people and threatens our existance as a  nation.  The world knows the history of our country as one of the most attractive and one of the oldest kingdoms on our planet.  Although,, we have great history, Ethiopia is among the least developed countries in the world in terms of economic development and living standards of its people.  HIV/AIDS is an additional burden.  About 90% HIV infection in the world is found in the developing countries. What paradox is that, there is very little press coverage concerning focuses in the developing countries. The question is are we blinded to the problem? or is it an African way of life , wait and see ! The men and women of our nation , who are fighting this terrible virus with poor equipments to make the
   difference in the life of our people are our heroes and role models.  The battle
   against HIV/AIDS must take the private sectors and the government.  Even in the
   west where HIV/AIDS is one of the top priorities of the health care system,  there
   has been struggling and frustrations as AIDS epidemic gallops on.

However,
   understanding of the virus has increased and are available
   therapies, prophylaxis for the opportunistic infections associated with it,
   treatment of the infections, neoplastic, metabolic, and neurologic complications
   associated with it. The hope in the West is that AIDS soon will become a
   chronic manageable disease like diabetes and hypertension. This will be
   attainable with $10,000 per person annually. This is neither available nor feasible
   to Ethiopia , a country with very limited resources. Why is it so expensive ?
   Dr.Yerukager {Yerukager@aol.com} has highlited and well epitomized all the issue that affect the pricing of drugs.

The next question is what can
   we do ? In essence , HIV infection is preventable. The first step will be to
   recognize the magnitude of the problem.then to protect our future and to slow
   down HIV transmission, our AIDS strategy must focus on effective sex
   education, behavioral modification to all groups of people, protect the powerless
   from prejudice, bigotery, and exploitation, public policy should influence directly
   individuals with high risk behavior e.g commercial sex. Government should
   influence the social norms and legislation that affect the rights of both HIV
   infected and un infected, and educate the public that condoms can be an
   effective preventive methods and more-------.  This,  I think can save lives of many
   people who would otherwise have become infected.  It is therefore incumbant
   upon our government and every citizens of Ethiopia to join the battle against
   AIDS.  To achieve this , don't let little frustrations get you down as you work
   hard.  Dreams can't be turned into reality over night.  No matter how deep the crisis
   we will face , no matter how bleak the future may appear now, the destiny of our
   nation is in our hands.

There should be no reason among us to be
   disconnected, disappointed and dispersed at this critical period of our history
   where by any strech we are loosing more Ethiopians every day than any time in
   history for any cause.  It is a silent killer.  It kills the working force , and destroys the
   economy and the ofcourse development of the country by large. It is time that our talents and skills should and must be stretched to the maximum to preserve our nation
   and our identity.  It is my belief that when you give yourself to enrich the lives of
   others, you are also enriching your own life.  There is a great sense of power when
   people come together to achieve a common cause. Together we can make a
   difference, without your commitment , we may stumble, struggle and even fail,
   with your commitment, however, we will change people's lives for the better.