The stigma attached to AIDS promotes an air of desperate denial. Admitting to having AIDS is a sure way of being ostracized. But the cemeteries, overfilled with newly dug graves, tell the truth. In this country they bury a thousand victims of AIDS a week. Medical facilities do not even come close to handling even the most basic needs of the sick and dying.
Many people turn to traditional healers, who say they can help.
Some suggest to infected men that having sex with a young virgin will purify them, rid them of the disease. A lot of men have gone ahead and believed that, they are so desperate to be cured. Education programs to counter these myths and misconceptions are critically underfunded. In fact, no government in Africa has enough money to deal with the AIDS epidemic. Many countries lack the political will to deal with the crisis even though prevention remains the best weapon these countries have.