The University of Wisconsin Student Global Aids Campaign gathered a panel of four experts on the HIV/AIDS virus to discuss the personal, political and scientific issues related to the virus Thursday.
The discussion, entitled "Focus on AIDS: A Personal, Political and Scientific Struggle," answered a series of questions posed by audience members and included a panel of three UW professors and one UW alumna.
Katherine Guerra, Madison chapter SGAC advocacy and education coordinator, said the goal of the panel discussion was to show the many factors of HIV/AIDS' prevalence in the world through a variety of viewpoints.
"The goal of the panel was to offer an innovative approach to understanding and studying the AIDS epidemic," she said. "Our overall goal was to show the many factors that contribute to the prevalence and magnitude [of HIV/AIDS], whether [they] be cultural, scientific [or] sociological."
UW alum Lolo Evans, who has worked in Africa and the United States to create more culturally compatible AIDS programs, said that trying to prevent or treat the HIV/AIDS virus is difficult due to varying beliefs among communities around the world.
"How do you plan a prevention program for a community who doesn't think it can be prevented?" she said. "It doesn't mean not to try, but that you have to keep those things in mind."
Evans said the HIV/AIDS virus is more than just an illness, adding compassion is an important factor in dealing with the virus.
"AIDS isn't just this independent thing. It's very much wrapped up in social issues," she said. "As individuals, I really stress that the component of compassion is the cure. Tread softly [and] be sensitive to how people are living their lives."
Doubting society's ability to effectively embrace the social issues of abstinence and faithfulness, UW sociology professor Theodore Gerber said condoms currently are the only real weapon the world has against the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus.
"Condoms are the only weapon we have," he said. "It's nice to talk about being abstinent and faithful, but as human beings, [we] will always be people who are not abstinent and are not faithful."
In concurrence with Gerber's advocacy for condom use, UW pathology professor David Watkins suggested the general public should frequently wear condoms during sexual intercourse to help combat HIV/AIDS.
"The thing we can all do more is wear more condoms — one at a time," he said.
UW assistant professor of medical history and history of science Richard Keller said failures in the fight against HIV/AIDS include a lack of sufficient funding from the United States and the interference of ideology with science.
"I would argue that the biggest failure is the absence of meaningful foreign aid coming from the United States," he said. "The most important thing we can do as individuals and as a society is refuse to tolerate ideology getting in the way of science."
Supporting Keller's claim of negative ideological interference with science, Watkins said intervention from religious groups and organizations on scientific research — both in the past and recently — has had adverse effects on scientists' abilities to combat HIV/AIDS.
"I think religion has a lot to answer," he said. "Religion has essentially retarded our ability to combat this disease [and] has hampered science throughout the ages."
