Congratulations to the Iowa State Daily editorial board for bringing issues of global importance to the table (Oct. 15, “Truth on sexual protection needed”). The HIV/AIDS menace is something we all need to tackle consistently.

Having grown up in Kenya and observed the people there, I know there are complex reasons behind the high HIV prevalence rate. Culture, which encompasses religion, is one important factor — to most Kenyans, sex still is a taboo topic, and people are visibly uneasy about condom talk and such. Unlike Uganda, where politicians led the way in breaking the silence and stigma around AIDS, Kenyans still have their heads in the sand.

It is not as simple as we think: it isn’t just Church teachings that are at fault — only about 33 percent of the Kenyan population is Catholic, yet everyone is affected equally. If Kenyan Protestants, Muslims and other non-Catholics were more “enlightened” about HIV prevention than their Catholic counterparts, then wouldn’t the former have significantly lower prevalence rates? Higher HIV prevalence occurs in Southern Africa where the Catholic Church has had insignificant influence: Botswana has a 38.8 percent prevalence rate, yet only 15 percent of its population is Christian. (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/)

Maybe studies have been done now, but I haven’t heard of any correlation between denomination and HIV prevalence in Kenya or anywhere else. The most likely predictor of HIV prevalence is occupation and income, as it has been observed that primary school teachers and soldiers are among the most affected. Condoms might be part of the solution, but the Catholic Church is not as much of an obstacle as the media makes it to be.

Tony Machacha

Graduate Student

Sociology & Agriculture