Child mortality is an ongoing global health issue that impacts the developing Global South at a higher rate than the Global North. The overall global rate of child mortality has decreased over the last 50 years yet rates in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced little change and one in four countries within Sub-Saharan have seen an increased, showing the poorest progress and slowest decline globally (Mogford 2004 p. 94). Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have great obstacles in decreasing child mortality. One of the main causes for high child mortality is the effect HIV and AIDS has on the region. Child mortality caused by HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa would dramatically improve with better education, lowering poverty and with funding and …show more content…
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of HIV and AIDS worldwide yet it is a very hushed subject within the region. Nobody talks about it which has led to massive miscommunication and lack of understanding. There is not much reliable data concerning child mortality, this has made the South African government conclude that sparse information has contributed to the problem (Demmer 2012 p. 1). Females in particular need to be educated about the dangers of HIV. Mogford’s findings show a correlation between improved female education and lower levels of child mortality (2004). Females need to be educated about HIV prevention and maternal child transmission. One third of children born to HIV positive mothers become infected through birth or breast feeding (Mogford 2004 p. 99). Sellen and Hadley agree that education would decrease child mortality caused by HIV as 90% of children living with HIV contracted it by “vertical” transmission, also called “maternal-to-child transmission”. This kind of transmission is contracted during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding; these are all forms of transmission which can be prevented (2011 p. 29). With proper education “vertical transmission can be reduced to less than 2%” (Smith Fawzi, Holman, Kiley, Li, Barry, Bandara, Fuller 2011). Education on how the virus is transmitted would help to eliminate the spread of the virus. Research from Sub-Saharan Africa showed 20% of transmission …show more content…
Successful prevention of HIV maternal-to-child transmission is evident in wealthy countries. High income countries have low maternal-to-child transmission due to low adult infection rates and high availability of treatment, health systems and testing. Whereas low income countries have high maternal-to-child transmission due to high adult infection, low access to health care and uncommon safe alternatives to breastfeeding (Sellen and Hadley 2011 p. 32). Mogford agrees with this and recognises that economic growth increases ability to fight diseases and increases life expectancy (2004 p. 96). Sellen and Hadley use the term “food insecurity” to define ‘a lack of physical and economic access to food of sufficient quality and quantity’ (2011 p. 34). Food insecurity is highest amongst the female population of Sub-Saharan Africa due to gender inequality and social vulnerability. Females control little household resources and are poorer educated so finding work is hard. They often stay in violent relationships, experiencing high risk sex, survival sex with no control over condom use and a high risk of contracting HIV (Sellen and Hadley 2011 p. 35). They choose this high risk life over the reality of food insecurity for themselves and their children. Food insecurity increases malnutrition. Malnutrition in HIV carriers’ increases the vulnerability to HIV related illnesses and early onset
Although the !Kung San of southern Africa differ greatly from the people in the west African nation of Mali, both areas share similar problems. Both suffer from diseases, illnesses, malnutrition, and having to adapt to the ever changing and advancing cultures around them. What I found to be the most significant problem that is shared between both areas is that the people suffered from a lack of education. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine A. Dettwyler, there is a lack of education in proper nutritional practices, taking care of children and newborns, and basic medical knowledge and practices. The Dobe Ju/’hoansi have recently started putting in schools to help children receive an education to help them have better success with the surrounding peoples and culture, but there is a lack of attendance in these schools. There are also many education issues in proper sexual practices that would help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, in a place in the world were theses illnesses are at surprisingly high levels.
To help the women in Africa in their struggle with the problems caused by the AIDS pandemic, we must first help the women have a voice and gender equality in the developed countries and the organizations of which these developed countries are a part of.
Kofi Annan persuades his readers that Africa's fate lies in their women with several different ideas. These ideas can be condensed down to two main topics. First, women are the main agriculture workers in Africa. When the mother of a family dies her farming knowledge goes with her. This, in turn, causes farming in her family to dwindle and eventually leads to starvation. Second, when a mother dies in Africa it has a ripple effect on her family. When she dies, her children are often orphaned. Her death can also cause her older female children to drop out of school so they can help to support their family. Without proper education, these children are more likely to not know how to protect themselves against AIDS. Annan closes his essay with the hope that the problem is at least starting to get better, noting that AIDS infection rates have declined throughout Africa.
Of those, 46.5 million were in poverty (Hunger & Poverty Statistics, 2012). For some individuals’s food insecurity is only a temporary situation, for others it may be for an extended period. Food insecurity due to temporary situations such as unemployment, divorce, major medical or illness can become more long term. The vast majority of these are families with children. The Faces of Food Insecurity Food insecurity does not discriminate; it reaches many segments of society (Whitney, DeBruyne, Pinna, & Rolfes, 2007).
The author mentions a few key take away main points. First of all, solutions must address the underlying causes of HIV risk among women. This mainly includes poverty and disempowerment because women in lower living standar...
Access to health care in Ethiopia has left many people without proper health care and eventual death. Millions of people living in Ethiopia die because of the lack of access to the health care system; improving the access to the healthcare system in Ethiopia can prevent many of the deaths that occur, but doing so will pose a grueling and challenging task. According to Chaya (2012), poor health coverage is of particular concern in rural Ethiopia, where access to any type of modern health institution is limited at best (p. 1). If citizen of Ethiopia had more accessibility of the healthcare system more individuals could be taught how to practice safe health practices. In Ethiopia where HIV, and maternal and infant mortality rates are sky high, more education on the importance of using the healthcare system and makin...
By the year 2000, 58 million people have been infected by HIV/AIDS and alarming numbers such as 22 million would have already died. And the epidemic continues to spread. HIV/AIDS historically is considered to be one of the longest running worldwide epidemics that we have ever seen, and figures cannot be placed on the true death tolls or estimation of the damage as the cycle still is yet to reach an end (Whiteside 2002). With Africa being the worst hit continent in the world in terms of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the severity of it’s prevalence; one can only begin to question whether HIV/AIDS and poverty and directly connected or the inter-linkages exacerbate one or the other. This paper aims to argue that HIV/AIDS is a manifestation of poverty, and simultaneously poverty contributes to growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Development in response both to poverty reduction and to HIV/AIDS is complicated when both have multi-dimensional and multi-faceted impacts on a society, whether it be social, economic or human development impacts. This paper will argue that pre-existing socio economic conditions within a country such as high levels of poverty, poor sanitation, malnutrition, environmental degradation and poor public healthcare systems and limited access to preventative care are crucial factors in contributing to the transfer of the infection (Pasteur: 2000, Mann: 1999).
Nearly 50,000 people, including 30,000 children, die each day due to poverty-related problems and preventable disease in underdeveloped Countries. That doesn’t include the other millions of people who are infected with AIDS and other incurable diseases. Especially those living in Sub-Saharan Africa (70%), or “the Third-World,” and while we fight to finish our homework, children in Africa fight to survive without food, or clean water. During the next few paragraphs I will give proof that poverty and disease are the two greatest challenges facing under developed countries.
Poverty is an ever-growing problem throughout our modern world, with millions living in its extremes. There are many consequences of poverty and the way they affect children and family life is absolutely detrimental. Poverty can be simply defined as “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions” (Encyclopedia Britannica 2014). There are two distinct variations of poverty – absolute poverty and relative poverty, which will be further discussed throughout this essay. The total number of people worldwide who live on less than $2.50 (the bare minimum of the poverty line) is 3 billion (Global Issues, The Human Development Report, 2012). According to many, there are a varied number of consequences for those who live in poverty, especially children and families. The effects of poverty have proven to have detrimental effects on child development and the nature of family life. Saunders (2005) reiterates these factors of poverty in his book “The Consequences of Poverty”. This essay will state the many aspects of poverty and the detrimental effects its holds within child development, family life and the health of indiviudals.
People from different ethnic groups migrates to urban areas for more monetary income and consequently loss their traditional sources of foods from the natural environment. Thus, they are more vulnerable to the food insecurity losing their emergency source of indigenous foods. Now, rural farmers are more interested in producing on commercial basis to earn more money by selling staple crops. As a result, most farmers abandoned the production of their traditional foods and thus decreased the supply of different local foods. This also contributes to food insecurity, especially for the children and women of poor households. Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and malaria are low right now, but it costs a lot from a different perspective. So, having adult HIV/AIDS positive family member reduces the sources of income and increases the probability to be a food insecure household (Tsai et al., 2011). Additionally, the refugees from neighboring conflict zones, e.g., South Sudan, Congo also increase the local food demand and thus results in higher food
"Key Facts: Poverty and Poor Health." Health Poverty Action. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.
Despite progress in recent years girls still suffer a lot of disadvantage in education systems. While gender equality in education remains a crucial issue for many countries women still account for two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population. Estimated thirty one million girls of primary school age and thirty four million girls of lower secondary school age were not enrolled in school in 2011. (http://www.UNICEF.org/education/bege-61657.html) Girls’ education is both an intrinsic right and a critical lever to reaching other development objectives says UNICEF. Girls’ education is important to the achievement of quality learning. Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller and healthier families. Educated women can recognize the importance of health care and know how to seek it for themselves and their children. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain confidence to claim them. However, women’s literacy rates are significantly lower than men’s in most developing countries. UNICEF recognizes the opportunities provided through girls’ education and it supports governments in the reduction of gender discrimination through interventions at national, local and community levels aimed to empower girls. As we look towards 2015 and beyond, UNICEF continues to take a more transformative approach to girls’ educ...
One way AIDS impacts a household is by preventing the breadwinner of the family from earning income. The patient, who is often a man, would be unable to go to work for an extended period of time until he or she recovers. More often than not, the patient will also ultimately pas...
Institute for Research on Poverty. (2013). Health & Poverty. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/research/health.htm
The emergence of HIV/AIDS is viewed globally as one of the most serious health and developmental challenges our society faces today. Being a lentivirus, HIV slowly replicates over time, attacking and wearing down the human immune system subsequently leading to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) at which point the affected individual is exposed to life threatening illnesses and eventual death. Despite the fact that a few instances of this disease have been accounted for in all parts of the world, a high rate of the aforementioned living with HIV are situated in either low or medium wage procuring nations. The Sub-Saharan region Africa is recognized as the geographic region most afflicted by the pandemic. In previous years, people living with HIV or at risk of getting infected did not have enough access to prevention, care and treatment neither were they properly sensitized about the disease. These days, awareness and accessibility to all the mentioned (preventive methods, care etc.) has risen dramatically due to several global responses to the epidemic. An estimated half of newly infected people are among those under age 25(The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic). It hits hard as it has no visible symptoms and can go a long time without being diagnosed until one is tested or before it is too late to manage.