Impacts Of HIV And AIDS

The world as a whole should be mortified by what is happening in Sub-Saharan Africa. In places like Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho poverty, crime and systematic corruption are the tinder for the fire that is the HIV epidemic in Africa.

Since its identification approximately two decades ago, HIV has increasingly spread globally, surpassing expectations (1). The number of people living with HIV worldwide is estimated to be 36 million, with 20 million people having died from the disease, giving a total number of 56 million being infected (1). In 2000 alone, 5.3 million people were infected with HIV and there is potential for further spread. HIV infection rates vary all over the world with the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (1). Responding to this epidemic has been a challenge as infection rates have increased worldwide despite tremendous public health efforts by nations (1). The identification of potential interventions to reduce the magnitude of the problem has

An estimated 25 million people in Africa were living with AIDS in 2003 (AIDS and HIV Statistics for Africa). In Botswana alone, the AIDS prevalence rate is an immense 36.5% (HIV and AIDS in Botswana). In Botswana, AIDS has been an ongoing epidemic since the first case reported in 1985 (HIV and AIDS in Botswana). AIDS is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which weakens a person 's immune system causing them to be more susceptible to infectious diseases such as meningitis, pneumonia, the flu, and many other diseases. Though AIDS does not directly kill people, the infectious diseases will frequently become fatal. AIDS is transmitted through both homosexual and heterosexual intercourse, blood transfusions with HIV positive

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).

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.

The HIV and AIDS pandemic remains one the most serious development crises in the world (WHO, 2006). Women and children bear a disproportionate share of the burden, and in many settings continue to experience high rates of new HIV infections and of HIV-related illness and death. In 2005 alone, an estimated 540 000 children were newly infected with HIV, with about

On the other hand, HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, which has 62% of the world’s HIV cases. Because sub-Saharan Africa is home to 70% of the poorest people in the world, people lack the skills and the money they need to survive. Therefore, the only way they can get their basic needs is the risky behavior. For example, women have to engage in sexual transactions for commercial

Leading on to my next point, this has a massive effect on health due to the fact that this disease affects the immune system and so therefore shortens life expectancy. The average life expectancy in South Africa is 51 years old compared to MEDCS e.g. the UK average life expectancy is 80.

In the year 2012, there were 139 and 520 cases of AIDS among the adolescents and the young adults respectively. Between the ages of 13 and 19,

Sub-Saharan Africa has been singled out as having the most serious HIV epidemic in the world. There is need to curb the spread of HIV in the continent by leveraging the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the factors responsible for the spread of the disease. This paper attempts to investigate the risk factors involved in the spread of HIV and how to reduce HIV prevalence regardless of these risks factors. The paper then goes a step further and explains how HIV might may- and might may not - be contained. The paper concludes by proposing measures to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

South Africa has the largest population of people living with HIV/ AIDS. In 2016, South Africa had an estimated 7.1 million people living with HIV/ AIDS [1]. This epidemic has ripple effects across micro & macro–levels of the economy. HIV/AIDS negatively impacts labor supply, total labor productivity & exports among other economic channels. Given the significant impact this disease has on the economy, this is a top priority for the business community and the government.

Africa is arguably the poorest continent in the world as shown by statistics from World Health Organization, United Nation Children’s Fund and the World Bank. Growing up in Africa, I have been a first- hand witness to abject poverty which I believe is interconnected to illiteracy, higher infant and maternal mortality rates, life expectancy and the continuous presence of diseases. Even though Southern Africa has made some strides addressing some of these issues, the country’s inability to combat one of the deadliest diseases in the world, HIV/AIDS, remains a prominent public health concern. “The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) targets the immune system and weakens people’s

The prevalence of HIV is higher among women (30%) than men (19%) (Ministry of Health [Lesotho] & ICF International, 2014). For both men and women, HIV prevalence increases with age and then declines. HIV prevalence is highest for women at age group 35-39 (46%) and for men at age group 40-44 (44%). Taking employment into consideration, employed individuals in Lesotho have higher prevalence of HIV than unemployed for both men and women. The prevalence among employed men and women is 39% and 23%, respectively and among unemployed men and women is 21% and 9%, respectively.

Therefore, the question of interest in this paper is why are the rates of HIV-AIDS suddenly increasing in Uganda? According to the 2011 AIDS Indicator survey, the HIV-AIDS prevalence rates now stand at 7.3% from the previous 6.4%. The number of people living with HIV-AIDS and its related diseases is currently 1.6 million from 1.2 million. (Uganda HIV and AIDS Country Progress report, 2013).

To emphasize this hardships regarding women living in this geographic region, “women are [often] denied equal access to economic resources, housing, health care, legal protection, land, schooling, inheritance, and employment in the formal sector” (Farmer et al., 1996, p. 51). When analyzing cultures and their backgrounds, cultures may vary in what is acceptable in one culture may not be acceptable in another, depending on the culture itself. The belief system in marriages are said to be different between sub Saharan Africa and western societies. When a women marries often at a young age, her husband will take control of the relationship both physical and social, thus this patriarchal view highlights the difficulty for women living in this region to practice safe sex through the use of protection. According to the regional statistics published by UNAIDS, it was reported that in 2013, “there were 24.7 million people in sub Saharan Africa who were living with HIV/AIDS”. This statistic cannot be overlooked because of the 24.7 million people infected with this disease in this region, women actually accounted for “58% of the total number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus” (UNAIDS.org, 2014). Furthermore, of the 24.7 million individuals infected with HIV/AIDS the provision of