Hiv/Aids in Africa Essay - 842 Words

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). The pandemic can be likened very much to the Bubonic Plague of the fourteenth century in terms of its†¦show more content†¦The impact of AIDS may be felt as an immediate shock, as when a family loses a breadwinner, or in the case of a firm, an important employer leaves. However, at the national level the impact is felt as the gradual accrual of losses. The toll of HIV/AIDS on households can be very severe. Many families lose their bread winners. Many of those dying have surviving partners who are themselves infected and are in need of care. They leave behind children grieving and struggling to survive without the care of the parents. The disease strips the family assets further impoverishing the poor. In many cases, the presence of AIDS means that the household eventually dissolves, as the parents die and children are sent to relatives for care and upbringing. The gravity of the impact depends not only on the numbers infected and directly affected by the pandemic, but also o n the resources available to manage the situation. This may be resources accessible at family, community or national level. The pandemic also has dire impacts on the demographics of a country. This impact is usually more difficult to assess as it is largely dependent on data from birth and death certificates, and health records, all of which are poor or almost non-existent in that part of the world. Due to this, life expectancy at birth has fallen, dramatically, and the population structure has changed shape eroding years of progress made by many African countries. This obviouslyShow MoreRelatedThe HIV-AIDS Epidemic in Africa631 Words   |  3 Pages HIV/AIDS is a significant public health concern and a leading cause of death in many parts of Africa. Although Africa is home to about approximately 15 percent of the worlds population, the same region is the worlds epicenter of HIV/AIDS. The numbers are overwhelming as adult HIV occurrence is 1.2 percent around the world but it is approximately 9.0 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS) estimated that at the end of the year 2001, there were 39Read MoreHiv/Aids South Africa5278 Words   |  22 PagesThe HIV/AIDS Epidemic In South Africa Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of many infectious diseases that plague the world today. According to the 2007 AIDS epidemic update put out by The United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNIADS) there were approximately 2.1 million AIDS related deaths and 33.2 million people infected with HIV world wide (UNAIDS/WHO Working Group, 2007). Despite its abundant resources and its well-developedRead MoreThe Effects Of Hiv And Aids On South Africa1279 Words   |  6 Pageshistory in how HIV and AIDS in South Africa occurred is one of the most controversial of any country. 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Carmichael Organization Date: January 19, 2017 RE: AIDS Prevention Treatment The Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV as it is commonly known was first seen in the United States about thirty years ago before