Hiv / Aids : A Huge Complication Around The World

In South Africa, AIDS is one of the top causes of death. South Africa has the biggest AIDS/HIV epidemic in the world because of violence against women, poverty, and lack of education. Given this, “Africans account for nearly 70% of those who live with HIV and are dying of AIDS” (Morgenstern, Dr. Michael).

Human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, is an infectious disease that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) when left untreated. With AIDS, an individual’s immune system is severely compromised which leads to life-threatening infections, cancer, and eventual death. HIV is primarily transmitted via direct blood contact, breast milk, and sexual contact. With the exception of one highly unique case, HIV is incurable but can be suppressed with highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). When HAART was introduced in 1996, HIV/AIDS related deaths have decreased dramatically, and HAART, when used for prophylactic measures (treatment plan also known as PrEP), has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection (Center for Disease Control, 2016).

When visiting South Africa, I was intrigued at the beauty of the country, but was also curious as to how the country was dealing with one of Africa’s largest problems, AIDS/HIV. With the AIDS epidemic having started over 25 years ago, the disease continues to affect the population of Africa, especially South Africa, the nation with 5.6 million people living with HIV, the most in the world. Much of South Africa’s history of struggle with the virus is attributed to misinformation given by Thabo Mbeki, a former president, who “questioned the link between HIV and AIDS” and his former health minister who misled the nation with ideas that the virus could be treated with “beets and

In The Invisible Cure, Helen Epstein talks about why HIV/AIDS rate is so high in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Through the book, she gives us an account of the disease and the struggles that many health experts and ordinary Africans went through to understand this disease, and how different African countries approached the same problem differently. Through this paper, I will first address the different ways Uganda and Southern African countries, South Africa and Botswana in particular, dealt with this epidemic, and then explain how we can use what we have learned from these African countries to control outbreaks of communicable disease elsewhere around the world.

Despite the government’s best efforts to downplay the HIV epidemic that was beginning in South Africa, the disease began to spread throughout the general population in the late 1980s. In 1988, cases of seroconversion started to appear in individuals outside of the MSM community; each year, between 1988 and 1994, saw a doubling of HIV prevalence. As of 1990, the dominant mode of transmission for HIV switched from homosexual to heterosexual intercourse, creating an epidemic among the citizens of South Africa. At the same time, the rate of mother-to-child transmission was on the rise. Throughout the escalation of the HIV epidemic in South Africa, the apartheid government took a hard line stance on HIV and AIDS, calling it a ‘black disease’ and refusing to invest resources to combat the spate. Rather, it continued to use fear tactics and stereotyping to reinforce the ‘typical’ HIV-infected individual, targeting MSM and black populations in country-wide campaigns. Any attempts at preventing the spread of disease were usually thwarted by a lack of infrastructure in the local governments and provinces, with each area attempting a different strategy to combat HIV infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is a pandemic problem affecting global health. At the end of 2015, 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS globally. The rate of incidence is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa with almost 1 in every 24 adults living with HIV/AIDS. In the united states, HIV/AIDS is a diversified health problem affecting all sexes, ages and races and involving the transmission of multiple risk behavior. However, with the introduction of various prevention programs and antiretroviral drugs, the incidence of HIV/AIDS has reduced.

The AIDS epidemic, from its beginning, has elicited a variety of responses from individuals and governments alike. Because the disease was originally shrouded in such mystery, many did not know how to react, which fostered a default fear of the unknown response. This attitude lead to many governments adopting a denialist policy, countless individuals living and eventually dying alone due to an unwillingness to report their illness for fear of consequence or prejudice, and this allowed the HIV virus flourish. Several countries responded efficiently and effectively to the presence of the HIV virus in their midst, while other countries maintained an attitude of ignorance. The latter position contributed to a huge expanse of the HIV epidemic

Emerging in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS was an unknown disease that spread rapidly throughout the United States. In the beginning not much information was found due to this being a very new disease with a completely unknown background. As decades passed, research has increased as well as the number of cases of people reporting that they are infected. Being that 1 out of every 4 people are infected with HIV/AIDS, this disease has had such an immense impact socially, domestically, as well as politically. Due to this increase in cases, the United States Congress passed the CARE Act (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act). Named after a young AIDS activist, Ryan White, the CARE Act helps primarily fund health care and support services for

Since the discovery of the HIV virus in 1983, there have been many precautions taken to control and prevent the spreading of this deadly disease. Helen Epstein, who is the author of “AIDS Inc,” informs her readers about the sexually transmitted disease known as the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Epstein enlightens her audience with crucial information in regards to the ruthless disease that is devouring the lives of innocent people, typically in Africa, where people are especially prone to acquiring AIDS. South Africa, having one of the highest amounts of rape crimes in the world, is also home to the highest amount of people living with HIV in the world, at about

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus (Avert). It is virus that attacks the immune system, our body’s defense against disease (Avert). Individuals who become infected with HIV will find it harder to fight infections (Avert). HIV is located in semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids, and breast milk (HIV and Aids). The most common method to become infected is through anal or vaginal sex without a condom (HIV and Aids). Other forms of contraction include using infected needles/ syringes, from mother to child during pregnancy, or breastfeeding (HIV and Aids). If left untreated, AIDS can evolve, this is when a person’s immune system becomes too weak to fight infection and can no longer defend itself (What is AIDS). Despite there not being a cure, an early diagnosis and effective treatment can enable people to live a normal, healthy life (HIV and Aids). This paper will focus on the HIV epidemic. It will compare and contrast HIV in the United States and in Kenya. The paper will review the specific populations affected, testing and counseling centers, funding and economic impact, and prevention programs each country is executing.

HIV/AIDs is a huge epidemic still plaguing society today. The lack of knowledge and technical advances has caused an increasing number of cases. It has made its way around the world since the 1940s, causing countries to join together in the fight against AIDs. With all the campaigning that has been done the numbers of cases continue to rise. Countries have separated the disease into three patterns to make it easier to distinguish the effects that AIDs has on different regions of the world. As well as what subtypes sprout from what areas. HIV/AIDs can be spread in many different ways. The future is still uncertain for the victims whom lives have been dramatically changed by this deadly disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of people in the world living with HIV/AIDS reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since there is currently no vaccine to prevent the spread of the infection, there have been countless attempts in the past to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are multiple ways of infection spread in Sub-Saharan Africa. People are contracting the disease through, drug use, sexual relations, giving birth, and blood-to-blood contact. With so many ways to contract the infection it makes the prevention of spreading the infection so difficult, especially in such a low-income country. These challenges have not stopped many scientists, educators, and health-care professionals create interventions to try and stop the wildfire, that is the spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub- Saharan Africa. Most interventions have failed and some have helped. There are a huge amount of factors that need to be carefully thought about when creating an intervention. What looks good on paper may not work for the culture of a country. Making all people in sub- Saharan Africa listen, understand and act on a plan is nearly impossible.

The first death on HIV reported, was in 1985. By 1987, regulations were issued, AIDS was added to the official South Africa list of communicable disease. The spread of HIV in South Africa is best described as explosive because of the rapid rise in HIV prevalence (Karim & Karim, 2002). HIV kept spreading around homosexuals, it came to a point where also women, infants and people that got blood transfusions were infected with it. At this point it became a red light for the government. In 1994, with Nelson Mandela as a president HIV/AIDS got attention, but it wasn 't the attention it needed. In 2009 with President Jacob Zuma, there was another big change that transformed the health police, bringing more attention to it, looking for a better health care and control of the disease.

The AIDS crisis has been a very controversial issue in the history of South Africa beginning in 1982. During this time South Africa has made a government transition from apartheid to a democracy. Since many national issues needed to be address, the AIDS crisis was pushed aside, leaving a pandemic in the process. Many factors have contributed to the issues including: poverty, social instability, high levels of sexually transmitted infections, the low status of women, sexual violence, migrant labor, limited access to quality medical care, and a history of poor leadership in the response to the pandemic. After three decades of controversy in South Africa dealing with issues involving the government, medicine, and conflict the country is still feeling the after-effect today regarding the largest AIDS pandemic.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that is most affected by HIV/AIDS. The United Nations reports that an estimated 25.4 million people are living with HIV and that approximately 3.1 million new infections occurred in 2004. To put these figures in context, more than 60 percent of the people living with the infection reside in Africa. Even these staggering figures do not quite capture the true extent and impact that this disease causes on the continent. In 1998, about 200,000 Africans died as a result of various wars taking place on the continent. In that same year, more than 2 million succumbed to HIV/AIDS (Botchwey, 2000).