My name is HIV

Hi, my name is HIV, I am a business person.

The world over, I am renowned to the extent that a day has been set aside to recognize my business and its impact on humanity.

I am very synonymous with AIDS. Sometimes we are confused as one entity.
I enable AIDS, without me AIDS can not be in business.

The final outcome of my business is may be death. Death by it’s self isn’t new to the world, so what is all the fuss about what I do you’d probably ask.

Please take a seat and listen.

I am very predominant in some areas of the world than others but that doesn’t matter. As long as I exist there, nobody is safe. As long as people can move from place to place, I am mobile. A funny thing is my business partners never really know when they engage my services because ordinarily, you can not notice my presence with the naked eye.

My business puts pressure on health care, education, the family and the economy.
I have been very successful in poor economies, destroying the fabric of the family units, crippling their economies and making orphans of children.

All these years, I have watched my business grow enormously. Unfortunately, the business of sadness, sorrow and death yields no profit. After all these years, there are no dividends to declare. People shudder at the mention of my name; so much grief.

I quit.

Quitting, I know isn’t going to be easy, the behavior of human society is going to make it very difficult for me to just close shop and go.

Unsafe habits, religious doctrines, unawareness and sheer carelessness create a huge demand for my services.

Society must change and I must re brand.

From today, I must introduce myself like this:

“Hi, I am HIV, put me out of business, protect yourself, and protect others.”

This piece was judged the best essay on December 1, 2006 in the MTN Nigeria World AIDS Day Essay Competition. It was submitted as an entry from this blogger.