Background
In rural areas people live with poverty, violence, abuse, poor health and unemployment. They lack access to water, sanitation, health care and education. Women face the greatest burden because they must find ways to earn income while caring for their family. The diagnosis of AIDS/HIV is just another burden on top of their strenuous life. Of the 37 million people living with HIV/AIDS, an overwhelming 95 percent live in developing countries. Within those countries, AIDS is becoming a greater threat in rural areas than in cities. The epidemic is spreading with alarming speed into the remotest villages, cutting food production and threatening the very life of rural communities. This will then bleed into threatening the city and then the country itself. This disease has caused more death than war itself around the world.
The article concentrates on Brazil and the different ways they are addressing their issues of HIV/AIDs. They are doing a good job stretching their budget to meet the need for condoms, informational meetings, plays, and movies, and supplying medicine for infected people in their country. As a country Brazil is trying very hard to address the situation of the deadly disease and trying to make sure their people know the consequence of not using protection in and out of wedlock. These informative meetings are very important to attempt to decrease the number of infected people in each country and the supply of condoms with the appropriate funds. DUREX is a great company that is globally known for their condom distribution and is trying to expand their acceptance into certain countries. DUREX needs to continue their positive alliance with the countries they are already doing business in and keep up the good brand and dependability they have in helping prevent these diseases.
Problems
The increase in HIV/AIDS victims are growing tremendously over the years all around the world. A main country that the article concentrated on would be Brazil and the way they handle the diseases in their county. It is estimated that AIDs victims will rise 7.5 million in the next decade. With all the different routes for solutions that Brazil has taken to overcome these sexual diseases, the number of infected citizens is still tremendous. Many different issues and problems contribute to the rise of the HIV/AIDS disease.
One main issue is the price of the HIV/AIDS medicine that needs to be distributed to properly care for the mass numbers of infected people. On average it costs around $12,000 per person per year for the AIDs medicine to be prescribed to an individual (CITE ATRICLE). Also the amount of money it takes to put on an awareness campaign to be able to reach the urban slums of countries is extremely expensive.
Another issue in the spread of HIV/AIDS would be lack of loyalty that husbands demonstrate to their wives. It has been found that many married men do not stay faithful throughout their marriage. “It’s mostly married women who are the victims” stated a former hospital administrator in Brazil. In studies done in Cuba by the Pan American Health Organization, 49 percent of men in stable relationships admitted they had had an affair in the past year (CITE ARTICLE). In studies done, many women said they would not ask their partner to use a condom, even if they knew he was sleeping with others. Women in the Brazilian society have expresses that they are afraid of asking their men to have safe sex. They are reluctant to force their men to wear a condom because they are afraid of getting beaten, or losing their economic support. “This is not Mexico, but we’re quite a machoistic society here” states Guido Carlos Levi, a director at the health department at Emilio Ribas Hospital (CITE ARTICLE).
The price of condoms is another important factor in the issue of the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In Brazil’s case the condom is seventy-five cents which puts it at the most expensive condom around the world. The woman’s condom starts at $2.50 apiece, which is three times the price of most male condoms (CITE ATRICLE). These extreme prices turn several individuals away from purchasing the condoms. The government attempts to meet the needs of their people but they are not funded enough to hand out enough free condoms to the people in the cities or in the extreme rural areas.
A major problem that is contributing to the rise of HIV/AIDS is the population’s perception of condom use. Public health officials state “Brazilian’s just do not like condoms”. Condom usage is the least popular method of birth control in Brazil. Only 14 percent of Brazilian heterosexual men used condoms last year, according to AIDSCAP. Many people do not believe that they are not at risk of becoming infected. In a study conducted by the Civil Society for the Well-Being of the Brazilian Family, it was found that 80 percent of women and 85 percent of men in Brazil believe they are not at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS (CITE ARTICLE).
Courses of Actions A number of avenues are being pursued to lower the costs of HIV/AIDS treatments in developing countries. One Solution Brazil should consider is instead of continuously purchasing expensive drugs from other countries, Brazil should implement a strategy for domestic production of generic version of most HIV/AIDS drugs allowing them to be manufacturer in the government sector. Prices of Patented drugs are very high. A solution to these high prices would be for Brazil to obtain a compulsory license. A compulsory license allows for the generic manufacture of a drug when the patent-holding company refuses to cut prices. It also allows you to negotiate better and stronger with private companies (Nagarajan). Brazil is a Roman Catholic country where abortion and having safe sex is not welcomed or acceptable. In many cases asking a man to wear a condom is unacceptable. The solution to this problem is to provide women with female condoms. The female condom was developed as an alternative to the male condom, and it was welcomed as a method that would enable women to have greater control over their own protection from disease. With the support of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), public and private funders, and the manufacturer, more than 90 developing countries have introduced the method through public distribution, social marketing campaigns or commercial outlets (Hoffman). One solution to lowering the price of condoms in developing countries is for the government to subsidize the product, and to cut the taxes on condoms that make then unavailable to many low-income individuals. One solution that Brazil could consider to help lower the cost of condoms is to manufacture condoms made domestically from sustainably harvested rubber from the Amazon rainforest. This will drive down the cost for the government, as well as for citizens by decreasing imports (Sandefur).
Education is key to an effective response to HIV/AIDS. Implementing health and prevention programs across the country will help the citizens of Brazil become more knowledgeable about the dangers and consequences of having unsafe sex. Aggressive media campaigns about the effects of HIV/AIDS on the human body, increased condom availability, and reduced prices for condoms are all great ways to bring awareness to Brazilian citizens about the disease and help change their sexual behavior.

Recommendations
Conclusion
Overall the article does a great job discussing the issues in Brazil and the surrounding countries around the world. In certain countries around the world the percentage of infected individuals is decreasing due to the availability of condoms, informative meetings, and treatment with medicine and healthcare. People are becoming more aware of their diagnosis and want to receive treatment, which leads to a positive turnaround and an increase in treated patients. Durex needs to continue their positive brand name around the world and push their product in as many countries as possible. This all will also lead to a positive revolution to prevent HIV/AIDS.