Swine flu aka H1N1 (and money) is all we seem to hear about in the news at the moment. Mixed messages on the severity of the so called pandemic. The big problems in Mexico, USA spreading fear amongst its people – where it is in Europe – and where should you go or not go, breathe or not breathe.

But more than a disease, it’s now also a fashion illness… yes you read right. The good people of Mexico City have by now gotten so used to wearing surgical masks, a “trend” that the bird flu started a few years ago. Even though that sparks another of those question marks floating around, do they even do any good? Not that it seems to matter for the Mexicans; they have taken the mask to the next level.

This trend has of course been picked up by people always looking to make a buck on a disease, that the media supports like it’s Obama re-election time already. It’s the IT story, the sexy new, maybe/maybe not, lethal illness, the equivalent of the monthly Playboy playmate, gunning for Playmate of the year… All of this while the nerd disease of the world, AIDS, is the one people should really be talking about. Does AIDS need a new marketing plan, or just a bit of Justin Timberlake?

What? You think it’s too cheeky and lighthearted, to talk about a horrific disease, like that!?! Well looking at how people around the world treat it, and all the things surrounding it, there is no other way. It’s a joke!

Let’s start in the States… the western, third world, sex country.

In USA, the federal government continues to invest money in abstinence-only programs.
Slap a ring on the finger, and promise you won’t have sex until you get married. Besides the obvious problems teenagers will have keeping that promise, and the question if it’s the right thing to do, a much bigger problem yells for attention. Recent studies show that: “Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do”. In the immortal words of Dr. Alban…

Because that is more or less the same, as the Pope backed lunacy going on in the part of the world, that is struggling the most with AIDS and HIV. With comments like: “condoms are not the answer to the continent’s fight against HIV and Aids and could make the problem worse”, he showed his class on a continent where the numbers show, that in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an estimated 22 million people infected.

No you’re right it’s not a laughable matter at all, but again i ask… how can you take this seriously??

Especially when emerging world leaders also show us the way forward…

Yesterday Jacob Zuma was formally elected as the new President of South Africa.
Zuma is also the leader of former President Nelson Mandela’s ANC party.

He has also admitted to having sex with an HIV positive woman…and thought a shower would be the best form of contraception.

I’m sorry – his words were… the shower “would minimise the risk of contracting the disease (HIV).

Nice, just the sort of person you need leading Africa’s leading nation?

Meanwhile, Rio De Janeiro’s state government may implement an interesting new strategy on managing HIV… all HIV positive people must carry I.D. stating just that.

And in Wales, HIV patients are being denied treatment see here

You might not remember but HIV and AIDS used to be talked about like this

So excuse us if we aren’t overly impressed with H1N1 and all those other new school “pandemics”. We more than most people, understand the meaning and appeal of new, but there is an old cat on the block, that deserves A LOT more media attention, and respect, than it’s getting. And that is ladies and gentlemen… a damn shame!

BANDIT