AIDS Epidemic in Africa

       "This is a story about AIDS in Africa. Look at the pictures. Read the words. And then try not to care."

What is HIV?

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes AIDS by infecting helper T cells of the immune system. The most common serotype, HIV-1, is distributed worldwide, while HIV-2 is primarily confined to West Africa (Dictionary, 2004).  The immune system is able to fight off the virus for many years because a person's body will begin to produce billions of CD4 cells daily.  The immune system does this automatically because it is trying to keep up with HIV's mutations.  The HIV virus attacks the immune system and the immune system is what normally fights off the infection (Encyclopedia, 2004). 

What is AIDS?

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or better known as AIDS is a severe immunological disorder caused by the retrovirus HIV, resulting in a defect in cell-mediated immune response that is manifested by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and to certain rare cancers, especially Kaposi's sarcoma. It is transmitted primarily by exposure to contaminated body fluids, especially blood and semen (Dictionary, 2004).  AIDS is a fatal disease and is caused by HIV.  This disease (first recognized in 1981) is so harmful because it leaves the victim more vulnerable to infections, malignancies, and neurological disorders.

Symptoms:

Some people develop flu like symptoms, but many actually show no signs of symptoms for awhile.  It could be months or even years before an infected person could see any signs of the disease.  Before the serious symptoms occur an infected person could experience such things as, fever, weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue, skin rashes, shingles, or memory problems.  Babies that are born with the disease may not develop normally. Conditions associated with AIDS may include things such as Kaposi's sarcoma (which is a fatal form of cancer), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (which is a type of cancer associated with the lymphoid tissue in which the Reed-Sternberg cells are not present), primary lymphoma of the brain, and invasive carcinoma of the cervix.  Other characteristics of AIDS include Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, and diarrheal diseases.  Extreme weight loss, blindness, hallucinations and insanity before death often occurs as well (Encyclopedia, 2004) . 

How is AIDS Contracted? 

There are three main ways of getting AIDS:

1) Receiving Blood Transfusions: When a person loses too much blood or just does not have enough, they may need some type of blood transfusion. A blood transfusion is the introduction of blood or blood plasma into a vein or artery (Dictionary, 2004).  Most of the time the blood that the hospitals will give a patient is clean and it not infected.  However, there is always some blood that passes for clean but is actually infected with the HIV virus.  If this happens the possibility of the receiving AIDS is high (Ways, 2004).

2) Needle Sharing: Using IV's can also lead to receiving the HIV virus. Often times drug users will inject themselves with drugs.  Since drugs are so expensive and the users spend most of their money on getting more drugs, drug users will share needles because they cannot afford to buy their own. Sharing needles is a very risky and is a major way of contracting the AIDS disease (Ways, 2004).  

3) Sex: Intercourse with a person that has previously been infected with the AIDS or HIV disease has a huge possibility of also being affected.  It usually starts out with HIV first and it may or it may not turn into AIDS later. This is the most common way of contracting the disease (Ways, 2004). 

 

Where in Africa?

The heart of the epidemic lies in the Southern regions of Africa.  Places such as Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe are effected by AIDS the most.  These countries have been dealing with this major problem for over a decade now, and it seems as if it is not slowing down (McGeany, 2001).

AIDS statistics in Africa

The average expectancy for life in Africa was 62 prior to this AIDS epidemic but now the average age that people are living is 47 (HIV, 2004).  The total number of deaths in Africa at the end of 2003 was, 23,100,000 adults.  Of that 23,100,000 adults, 13,100,00 are women and 1,900,000 children; with a total number of 2.2 million people who died from AIDS in the year 2003. Sadly though, because people are ashamed to admit they have the disease the statistics are probably far to low to be accurate. Also AIDS is not considered a form of death in Africa. Death certificates do not record AIDS as a cause of death. "Whatever stats we have are not reliable," warns Mary Crewe of the University of Pretoria's Center for the Study of AIDS. "Everybody's guessing" (McGeany, 2001).  Since this epidemic started over 39 million Africans, sub-Saharan Africa, have lost their lives due to the AIDS disease. Twenty-five million people are still living with HIV to this day.  Twenty-one of the countries with the highest level of HIV have been found in Africa.  In places such as Zimbabwe and Botswana, one in four adults carry this virus, and children in these places are more likely to be born with the disease than without.  In 1999 there were 5.4 million new cases of AIDS and 4 million of them came from Africa.  Out of 2.8 million people died in 1999 from the HIV virus and 85% of those people were Africans (CNN, 2001).

Every 25 seconds another African is dying of AIDS. It has become the number one killer (it has recently just beaten out malaria) (AIDS, 2000).     

Seventy thousand children are born with HIV in South Africa every year.  These babies could be saved from contracting the AIDS virus for about $4 a piece.  The drugs are cheap and simple however, the county does not want even more orphans then they already have, and since their mothers are inevitably going to die, and it is likely no one will take care of them, they allow these children to die.  The children die within the first year or two, so it seems as if that is the best option for the country, until someone starts to care (McGeany, 2001).

African Society

Ignorance

Ignorance is such a crucial reason why the epidemic has run out of control the way it has. Many people do not even know they have AIDS, and for those that do know they are ashamed and scared to admit it. That is a huge reason why it is getting passed around so fast (McGeany, 2001). AIDS is also often misunderstood in rural areas, where victims of the disease and their families are thought to be bewitched, the consorts of evil spirits. The belief is if you have AIDS it is because you have done something bad and have been bewitched (Orphaned, 2002). Africans are so undereducated about this disease that when symptoms start to appear they believe it to be the cause of other diseases such as, tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, diarrhea. Due to this vague knowledge sexual behavior does not appear to be ceasing. Africans keep everything private. Nothing is talked about especially sex. Since AIDS is seen as a label that you are living an immoral life embarrassment about sex overrides the future health risks. " We have no language to talk candidly about sex" (McGeany, 2001).

Poverty

"The dying people say the sickness afflicting their families and neighbors is just the familiar consequence of their eternal poverty." Poverty of both the nation as a whole and in single families is responsible for the rapidly spreading virus. Women and young girls try to make money for food, clothes, and education. A very popular way to make a lot of money quickly is prostitution.  A married truck driver tries to explain the situation as he sees it. "Yes, HIV is terrible, madam," he says as he crooks a finger toward the businesswoman whose favors he will enjoy that night. "But, madam, sex is natural. Sex is not like beer or smoking. You can stop them. But unless you castrate the men, you can't stop sex — and then we all die anyway."  He says this even though he knows his promiscuity could carry the disease home to his wife.  He knows people die if they get this disease. And it does not all lie on the shoulders of these women; prostitutes are just the ones who admit they do it for cash. Everywhere there's premarital sex, sex as recreation.  "The nature of AIDS is to feast on promiscuity.  A common belief in Africa, especially for African women is that it is okay to give sex to eat.  "They got no man; they got no work; but they have kids, and the have to eat" (McGeany, 2001).

African's Responses to AIDS

One woman admitted to having AIDS on a television show that was shown on World AIDS Day.  When she returned to her home town she was beaten to death by her fellow villagers.  A 1y year old orphan was left alone by her parents, aunts and uncles due to AIDS.  She was left to care for her seven younger siblings and her grandfather.  "They have no money, food, health care or transportation.  Their roof leaks and other villagers sometimes steal their firewood"  Africans are scared of the disease.  Sex is not talked about and people are thought of as dirty and worthless if they get the HIV virus (CNN, 2001).

                                                                     Impact on Africans

There is a Darwinian type presence in Africa.  Only the strong survive and no one wants to be slowed down by the weak ones.  The elderly and the children are left behind.  And there is not one particular group of people that are being affected.  Anyone who is having sex is at an extremely high risk.  There are hardly any families that go on untouched by this disease, and most people do not even know how they contracted the virus.  Many  may never know that they have it.  Since it is rarely talked about they will assume they are dying from another disease. Or they are to embarrassed to say they are dying of AIDS and therefore go on living life normally, having unprotected sex with many different partners (McGeany, 2001).   

Women in Africa are brought up to be submissive to men, especially when dealing with issues related to sex.  The man is always in charge, and the women are left feeling powerless and taken advantage of.  Men feel that if they have sex with a virgin they will be cured of the AIDS disease; these 12-year old girls have no say in the matter and therefore become infected with the virus (CNN, 2001).  Many feel they have no way to change the sexual trend that is going on in Africa.  When a woman does not want to have sex without a condom and she expresses that desire it is common for her to get beat.  If she refuses intercourse or even if she request a condom she is very likely going to get hurt.  It is a lose, lose situation for these women.  Women are also two times as likely to die from the disease as men because of their lack of control (McGeany, 2001).

Orphans

AIDS is claiming an overwhelming amount of the population. When these mothers and fathers die from the virus no one is left to care for their children.  650,000 children have been orphaned or left with one parent due to AIDS. "My grandfather took us in because we weren't going to school. None of my other relatives thought to send me to school. They made us work all the time and didn't feed us," says a young boy named Queen Mwila . He and his younger brother were one of the few fortunate children to be saved from the horrible situation.  For millions of other, not so lucky, children AIDS mixed with a society full of poverty leads to rejection of extra mouths to feed by relatives and neighbors (Orphaned, 2002).

Zambia, a country with only 10.3 million people, may actually be facing as many as 2 million orphans by the end of this decade (Orphaned, 2002). The only thing that is left for these children to do is take to the streets and try to find any way to survive.  Usually this means living in groups and learning strategies such as begging.  Many times it is difficult for these children to approach people and ask them for money so to take their anxiety away the turn to drugs, which in turn creates a massive drug problem. The desperation for money and food often times can lead to prostitution as well.  This only spreads the HIV virus even more (Orphaned, 2002) . 

There are some people who do actually care about these children and who are willing to sacrifice and try to make a difference.  Since the African government is so poor and in lack of leadership they can not respond to the ever growing presence of this epidemic.  The task of aiding orphans is now in the hands of charities and non-governmental organizations.  Rogers Mwewa is the executive director of Fountain of Hope.  This is a residence where children, who are on the street, can go and find rest and comfort.  Children that stay at the Fountain of Hope are exposed to positive activities such as training skills, and education.  "The goal is to make the children self-sufficient by the time they leave the center", says Mwewa.  However, with room for only 300 children, and more emphasis on the boy children, a lot of children are still left looking for an option. At night, Rogers Mwewa often walks the streets monitoring the children, offering tips for survival, hoping to help some of the thousands (Orphaned, 2002). 

Treatment

"More than anywhere else in the world, AIDS in Africa is met with apathy."  The response that many of these infected people receive is "We have no medicines for AIDS. So many hospitals tell them, You've got AIDS. We can't help you. Go home and die.'" No one wants to be tested either, he adds, unless treatment is available. "If the choice is to know and get nothing," he says, "they don't want to know" (McGeany, 2001).  It is hard for researchers to find a cure for AIDS because the virus mutates so rapidly (Encyclopedia, 2004).  The best way to try and stop this problem is prevention.  Education of the disease and encouragement of safe sex could possibly reduce the problem, but that in itself is not enough to save a country. Trying to prevent AIDS by distributing condoms is often times a waste of money, time, and effort.  Free condoms are regularly given out, but typically they are kept for too long, and in extremely hot or cold environments.  Some condoms fill up with germs and they actually spread AIDS. It is also a common belief that foreign governments that usually donate condoms, put holes in them so that the Africans will die (McGeany, 2001). It may not be as cost efficient to distribute these condoms, as many people think. Countries like Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Togo, Congo, and Kenya are supplied with condoms.  Men from 15-59 years of age receive about 17 condoms per year.  It is estimated that without delivery and production cost it would be $47.5 million to fill the 1.9 billion condom gap, but in comparison to other forms of cures and preventions, condoms seem to be the most cost effective (HIV, 2004). 

There are life extending drugs in the market today, however American and European- owned multinational pharmaceutical corporations make sure that these drugs remain expensive, even at the costs of millions of lives.  These companies claim that they need to continue to keep these drug prices so high so that further research can be done.  They say, "It's not wise to offer cheap AIDS drugs without a proper medical infrastructure...deadly, drug-resistant strains would emerge" (McGeany, 2001). 

Reflection

The situation does appear to be hopeless for Africa.  Minimal amounts of effort are being made because most people do not want to waste their time or money. They are stuck in what seems like an ongoing cycle.  Women who are left to handle themselves and their families alone feel they must have sex in order to survive.  Men simply will not stop taking what they feel is entitled to them.  The world seems to be caught up in so many other situations.  And the problems just seems so massive. But progress can be made.  People need to stop pretending to not notice.  There are human lives at risk.     

References:

AIDS and HIV statistics for Africa. (2004). Retrieved on October 31, 2004, from http://www.avert.org/subaadults.htm

AIDS in Africa: Action not silence. (2000). Retrieved on October 29, 2004, from http://www.aidsandafrica.com/aids_info_overview.htm

Christensen, J. (2001). AIDS in Africa: Dying by the numbers. Retrieved on October 29, 2004, from http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/aids/stories/overview/

Dictionary. (2004). Retrieved on November 1, 2004, from http://dictionary.reference.com/

Encyclopedia. (2004). Retrieved on November 1, 2004, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/h/hi1v1.asp

HIV and AIDS in Africa. (2004). Retrieved October 29, 2004 http://www.avert.org/aafrica.htm

McGeany, J. (2001). Death Stalks A Continent. Retrieved on November 1, 2004, from http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/photo.html

McGeary, J. (2001). Paying for AIDS cocktails: Who should pick up the tab for the Third World? Retrieved on November 1, 2004, from http://www.time.com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/drugs.html

Orphaned by AIDS. (2002). Online News Hour. Retrieved November 1, 2004, from,http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june02/aids_zambia_5-9.html  

Ways of Getting AIDS. (2004). Retrieved on November 3, 2004, from http://torrencepa_2.tripod.com/Homepage/id4.html