I always knew AIDS was a major problem in Africa. However I
was shocked to discover that 63 percent of all deaths in Africa occur from infectious
diseases like HIV/AIDS, and I wanted to draw attention to this staggering new
statistic.
According to an article from ANGOP, an Angolan news site, on October 21 the regional director of the World Health Organization for Africa, Luis Gomes Sambo, announced the startling statistic in Luanda, Angola. Specifically, according to Sambo, HIV/AIDS accounts for 38.5 percent of deaths from communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS is responsible for 15.6 percent of all deaths in Africa. The article continues with positive statistics about the decrease in transmission from mother to child, as well as, another amazing statistic in the increased coverage of antiretroviral treatment. According to the article, in 2003 only 100,000 people received the antiretroviral treatment compared to 2011 where 6.2 million received treatment. However, even with these seemingly optimistic numbers I cannot get over the fact that 15.6 percent of Africans die from HIV/AIDS. What is even more troubling is that in 2011 the incidence of infection by the disease was 1.7 million new cases.
Because of celebrities like Bono and organizations like (RED), I genuinely thought that AIDS was becoming less of a problem in Africa. However this article and Richard Dowden’s chapter on AIDS in Africa in his book Africa Altered States, Ordinary Miracles has proven to me that AIDS is still a serious problem in Africa and one that cannot be overlooked by anyone involved or interested in the continent.
According to Dowden, government responses to AIDS have been feeble especially in countries like South Africa. Even though most African nations have adopted strategies for dealing with AIDS they are not uniformly implemented. What’s worse, according to Dowden, are the orphans left by AIDS. Currently grandmas are taking care of these children but what happens when the grandmas die? International money has been spent to stop the spread of AIDS but I have not heard of any organization or person championing the cause of AIDS orphans except for Dowden.
Dowden and I agree that the lack of support for AIDS orphans could be disastrous for Africa’s fragile states. This is because “a generation of unparented orphans could easily become a pool of ruthless warriors for power-greedy politicians” meaning “whole regions of Africa, already poor and made poorer by AIDS, could be destabilized” (Dowden 330). Even though this is not yet a problem it should not be ignored because AIDS orphans have the potential to spur democratic backsliding in the future.
According to an article from ANGOP, an Angolan news site, on October 21 the regional director of the World Health Organization for Africa, Luis Gomes Sambo, announced the startling statistic in Luanda, Angola. Specifically, according to Sambo, HIV/AIDS accounts for 38.5 percent of deaths from communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS is responsible for 15.6 percent of all deaths in Africa. The article continues with positive statistics about the decrease in transmission from mother to child, as well as, another amazing statistic in the increased coverage of antiretroviral treatment. According to the article, in 2003 only 100,000 people received the antiretroviral treatment compared to 2011 where 6.2 million received treatment. However, even with these seemingly optimistic numbers I cannot get over the fact that 15.6 percent of Africans die from HIV/AIDS. What is even more troubling is that in 2011 the incidence of infection by the disease was 1.7 million new cases.
Because of celebrities like Bono and organizations like (RED), I genuinely thought that AIDS was becoming less of a problem in Africa. However this article and Richard Dowden’s chapter on AIDS in Africa in his book Africa Altered States, Ordinary Miracles has proven to me that AIDS is still a serious problem in Africa and one that cannot be overlooked by anyone involved or interested in the continent.
According to Dowden, government responses to AIDS have been feeble especially in countries like South Africa. Even though most African nations have adopted strategies for dealing with AIDS they are not uniformly implemented. What’s worse, according to Dowden, are the orphans left by AIDS. Currently grandmas are taking care of these children but what happens when the grandmas die? International money has been spent to stop the spread of AIDS but I have not heard of any organization or person championing the cause of AIDS orphans except for Dowden.
Dowden and I agree that the lack of support for AIDS orphans could be disastrous for Africa’s fragile states. This is because “a generation of unparented orphans could easily become a pool of ruthless warriors for power-greedy politicians” meaning “whole regions of Africa, already poor and made poorer by AIDS, could be destabilized” (Dowden 330). Even though this is not yet a problem it should not be ignored because AIDS orphans have the potential to spur democratic backsliding in the future.
Works
Cited
"Angola Press - Health - Infectious
Diseases Account for 63 Percent of Deaths in Africa - WHO Official." Angola
Press - Health - Infectious Diseases Account for 63 Percent of Deaths in Africa
- WHO Official. ANGOP, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/en_us/noticias/saude/2012/9/43/Infectious-diseases-account-for-percent-deaths-Africa-WHO-official,c2ee48eb-e1c4-445a-9b14-61bfc3d92d48.html>.
Dowden, Richard. "The Positive
Positive Women AIDS in Africa." Africa: Altered States, Ordinary
Miracles. New York: Public Affairs, 2009. 321-52. Print.
The issue of AIDS orphans is definitely a huge one for all African countries affected by AIDS, and I agree that not as much attention is paid to the problem as should be. I may have mentioned this book in a previous comment as well, but We Are All the Same (http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-All-The-Same/dp/1594200289) is a really compelling story about a boy growing up with AIDS in South Africa and how he faces those challenges.
ReplyDeleteAt least one positive thing to note, and what we will most likely discuss in class next week, is that not every African country deals with AIDS the same- and in some cases there have been successes. It's truly a lot about education - do people understand how AIDS is transmitted, what it means when someone has AIDS, and how to treat it if they do? It's a complex disease that unfortunately hasn't been discussed in quite the right manner in many states, which has been causing many contemporary problems.
At first glance, AIDS/HIV can just seem like a health crisis issue and nothing more. But the more you read about the crisis, you realize how many negative effects it can have in all aspects of a country, politically,economically, etc. I agree with Amanda in that education is definitely one the main solutions to solving this issue. Like in the clip we watched in class, many people just have deep cultural beliefs that only promote the spread of the disease. As sad as it is, it seems that the HIV/AIDS crisis is similar to the Rwandan genocide in that other nations offer feeble help or just want to pretend like its not happening. I truly believe that this crisis needs to be given much higher priority in the international arena.
ReplyDeleteAfter the discussion in class today, October 31st, it became apparent how many orphans there are in Africa due to the crisis of HIV/AIDS. This is especially seen in Swaziland, which is the country in Africa with the highest percentage of people infected with this disease. Life expectancy in this country is only 32 years old, looking much like the pre-industrial era of the world and even the middle ages. With the life expectancy so low, that means there will be more and more orphans in the years to come if nothing is done to help prevent HIV/AIDS. Much like Amanda and Alex, I think that the main way to solve this issue is through education. The people in Africa need to understand what the disease is,that it is actually real, the way in which they can prevent it, and how to deal with it if they are infected. If more and more citizens started to understand HIV/AIDS, I feel that it would reflect positively on the continent as a whole, especially in regards to the amount of orphans, the economy, and overall health.
ReplyDeleteLindsey-
ReplyDeleteGreat response, overview and analysis of the issues posed by diseases such as AIDS on the continent. I really like the incorporation of your feelings along with the readings and lecture.