Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome also known as AIDS has become an epidemic in South Africa. AIDS comes from HIV which an “estimated 5.3 million South Africans…[tested] HIV positive in 2003”( Global 1). In 2005 there were five and a half million people living with HIV and 1,000 people die from AIDS everyday. South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24 are the largest population that has been affected with HIV. Unlike the US heterosexual sex is the most common way for the infection to be transferred. However the rate homosexual sex is causing the disease sufferers rate to rise. A gay men’s association called the Triangle Project. In 2003 12 to 30 percent of gay men were living with HIV. “A study conducted in Durban in 2006 suggested that the HIV prevalence among Homosexuals was 33%”(HIV 5). This statistic is so high because studies have shown that this group does not use condoms. Women are another group that have a high rate of having the infection. There are two major reasons for this one is because “…women and girls in south Africa are often unable to negotiate safer sex and are frequently involved with men who have a number of sexual partners”(HIV 8). Also women are very venerable to rape and abuse. In 2004-2005 there were 55,114 cases of rape in South Africa. Although a pill was developed called Post-exposure prophylaxis if this pill is taken within 72 hours after being raped the chances of contracting the disease is significantly reduced. The women are having children and bring another generation of AIDS into this world. There are 50,000 children in South Africa living with AIDS. Because this disease is fatal many women die before their kids are eighteen causing them to become orphans.
The US and South African government has been very active in trying to prevent the rate of deaths from rising. They have done many surveys to try to help them to analyze the situation. The problem is that the government did not take the spread of the virus seriously until it began to “accelerate rapidly”(HIV 2). The government also has not helped the non-governmental organizations to educate homosexual population which is another reason why the infection rate in that population is so high. The president of South Africa named Thabo Mbeki has begin to put out to the people that HIV is not the cause of AIDS. He refuses to believe that HIV is caused by AIDS. “…he argues that HIV is just one factor among many that might contribute to deaths resulting from immunodeficiency, alongside others such poverty and poor nutrition”(HIV 6). The US has also begun to try to help the South Africans Suffering from AIDS. They have created an emergency plan.
There have been many groups that have tried to educate the population in South Africa about AIDS/HIV. There is a weekly radio program that reaches 1.7 million people. Another group called USG which partners with Soul City Institute of Health and Communications to created illustrated booklets to help educate people about HIV/AIDS. There is also another group called LoveLife which is the most “…prominent HIV prevention campaign carried out by South Africa” (HIV 5). It was launched in 1999 and has reduced the rate of teenage pregnancy and HIV being sexually transmitted through among young South Africans. It is designed to network education through the media. It also operates a network of telephone lines, clinics and health centers. LoveLife has been been supported by many groups. “Some activist feels that the campaign is poorly targeted and ineffective” (HIV 5). In 2005 LoveLife suffered a big cut back when of the people that were backing them withdrew their funds. They did this because they said that the “…campaign ‘was deemed to not have sufficiently addresses weaknesses in it’s implementations’” (HIV 5). HIV/AIDS has become a major problem in South Africa.
Questions
1. Has the government done all that they can to help prevent the disease?
2. What has been done to educate the people in South Africa?
3. Do you think that LoveLife has helped with prevention or is it a waist of time and money?
4. Do you agree or disagree with President Thabo Mbeki?
5. What is the largest group suffering from AIDS?
Citations
Global AIDS Program (GAP).” Centers for Disease Contol and Prevention . 27 Feb.
2006. Departmant of Health and Human Services . 10 Oct. 2006
.
HIV & AIDS in South Africa. Mar. 2006. 10 Oct. 2006
.
“South Africa .” AIDS Foundation . 2005. 13 Oct. 2006
http://www.aids.org.
Jamie Isaac
19 responses so far ↓
1
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 11:47 am
2. The government has made surveys to educate the people about how to prevent AIDs. There is also an organization called love life which helps to make people aware of the disease. There is also a radio station that broadcast information over the radio making people aware of AIDs. Lastly there is a group handing out pamphlets that educate people about HIV/AIDs. All of these groups are trying their best to make people more aware of AIDs and are trying to help bring down the number of people living with AIDs.
Erika I.
2
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 11:51 am
5. The largest group suffering AIDS is South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24.
Alli B.
3
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 11:53 am
3. I believe that LoveLife has helped prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa because it operates through companies that teenagers are active in. I don’t think that this program is a waste of time and money. I think that if they spread this program all over the world they could possibly be able to eliminate the majority of HIV/AIDS all over.
—Brynley Q.
4
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 11:54 am
5. The largest group in South Africa suffering from aids is people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Jamie W
5
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 12:06 pm
3. I think that LoveLife is not a waste of time and should continue to operate. They have successfully helped to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy and HIV contraction. The problem is that people look at teenagers separate from the entire population. Once these teenagers grow up, there will be fewer adults living with HIV. The fewer adults with HIV, the fewer cases of AIDS (taking into consideration that I believe AIDS comes from HIV). Also, LoveLife educates today’s youth. When they become the adults of tomorrow they will be able to make smarter sexual decisions which will help bring down the AIDS rate in South Africa. Furthermore, if it is a relatively new organization, it needs to be given time and guidance for its effect to truly be seen. The government should be more supportive and grateful that these people care enough to go out there and try to make a difference.
-Kara B.
6
globalspartan
// Oct 16, 2006 at 12:10 pm
3. The Love life is working and is not a waste of $$ because people need to be educated on safer sex and if their not educated then they won’t know how Aids and HIV comes about. When Lovelife was launched it helped reduced the rate of teen pregnancy and HIV being sexually transmitted. Hopefully if the education of safer sex is heard, as the generations go on the epidemic should no longer be.
–Monica C
7
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