The Hiv / Aids Epidemic

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).

As mentioned above, the spread of disease from mother to child was becoming an increasing problem in South Africa: by 2000, the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women had risen to nearly 21%; one rural

Looking through the theme of Development Issues of women and health on women’s health, specifically empowerment of women and improving maternal health, I focus on the mothers2mothers organization. These constraints are being limited for the sake of this paper to the stigma of HIV positive mothers and the discriminatory medical services that are then placed on HIV positive mothers in South Africa. This raises the problem of mothers identifying as HIV positive in South Africa as they are then being stigmatized, therefore I will be asking, how does the organization takes steps in order to help protect the women from stigmitation as they are in the prevent[ion] mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) program? Analyzing the constraints of participation of HIV positive mothers leads to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS infection, the lack of women’s empowerment, and the deficiency of appropriate and culturally sensitive clinical support services, even in facilities providing PMTCT services, means that many women go through their ordeal alone, confused and afraid.

An upsetting pattern has risen inside of the previous couple of years, demonstrating a relentless increment of ladies being contaminated with HIV/AIDS every year. This pattern is particularly conspicuous in sub-Saharan Africa. While the illness is contaminating more ladies than any other time in recent memory and now represents about portion of those living with HIV around

In 2010, all countries in the Americas committed to eliminating HIV transmission between mother and child by 2020 4. Three decades after the AIDS epidemic started,

Mothers around the world have a common goal, to give their babies the best of everything. All mothers want their babies to have the best chances at life to thrive and survive. When a new mother has had her baby, the next question usually is will you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby? For some, that might be a very easy decision and for others it will be a complicated issue as it’s a decision that has to be made early. For mothers in Africa, the choice is particularly hard, especially if they have AIDS. These mothers risk much more than most moms to give their babies the best chance of survival. Information is not easy to come by to educate these women in their choices. Infection can still be passed on, antibiotics have to be given and food is still scarce but formula is so expensive that it often cannot be considered because money is not available for that big of a purchase. Breastfeeding is the best tool a mother can give a baby.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2013, more than 3 million children were living with HIV. Most causes of HIV in children is through mother to child transmission during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or during labor and delivery (Weinberg, 2016). Furthermore, only 24% of children receive antiretroviral treatment (ART), and nearly 200,000 children died of AIDS related illnesses in 2013 (Children and HIV, 2015).

During the past decade, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become a leading cause of mortality among women. This population is now accounting for the most rapid increase in cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in recent years. As the numbers of cases of HIV infection have increased among women, particularly of childbearing age, increasing numbers of children have become infected as well. "Various studies conducted to date indicate that between 1/4 and 1/3 of infants born worldwide to women infected with HIV have become infected with the virus themselves" (HIV InSite, 1997). This is due to the route of transmission known as vertical transmission, from mother to infant.

90% of these infections occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (UNAIDS, 2006) .UNAIDS estimates that approximately 370 000 children were infected with HIV in 2007[1]. More than 90% of these infections were caused by vertical transmission from mother to infant and approximately 90% occurred in Sub Saharan Africa [1]. In the most heavily affected countries,

Objective: To estimate the proportion and risk factors of SGA and PTB outcomes and characterize temporal trends among HIV positive women giving birth at an urban hospital in Ottawa, Canada.

The NSP of 2007 set goals to deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Their primary goals were to reduce the amount of new HIV/AIDS infected people by 50% and improve the care and support to infected individuals, their families, and the community (South African Government Information, 2007). The plan focuses on educating the public about voluntary testing, empowering women, discussing domestic violence, and sexual education between parents and children (South African Government Information, 2007). By educating the public on how to prevent HIV exposure, the rate of newly infected individuals will dwindle.

South Africa’s fertility rate is on the decrease. The decline is due in part to high maternal mortality deaths of South African women. Prenatal and postnatal care, or lack thereof, is what drives this major health issue within the South African healthcare system. Lastly,

HIV can be transmitted from an HIV infected mother to her newborn child. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), without antiretroviral treatment of the mother, up to 30% of infants born to HIV positive mother’s become infected with HIV themselves. The number increases to 35%-50% if the mother breastfeeds the baby (aidsinfonet, 2014). The risk of HIV transmission to the infant from the mother decreases significantly if the mother used antiretrovirals throughout pregnancy and labor. If the mother does not breastfeed, the HIV transmission risk is also decreased (aidsinfonet, 2014). Health education relating to pregnant women and infants and HIV is necessary, but it is insufficient to create behavior change, and consequently improve

Elimination of the Mother To Child Transmission of HIV (eMTCT) program: An evaluation of practices by health care workers in selected Primary health care centers, Zambia.

Low rates of maternal health service utilisation in sub-Saharan Africa have also been attributed to the unequal gender relations arising from religious beliefs, teachings and practices and cultural influences (Katherine Marshall, 2013; UNAIDS, 2014; International Community of women living with HIV/AIDS, 2004; J.K. Ganle, 2015; Booth D& Cammack D, 2013). The low levels of commitment to protecting women’s health in many