The Cause and Effect of HIV in Africa
The ubiquitous acronym HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus that gradually weakens the immune system until the body cannot fight off common infinitesimal infections such as pneumonia, diarrhea, the “flu”, and other illnesses. All of which can be part of the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, the final stage of HIV that usually develops between 2 to 10 years after the infection. This infection is frequently transmitted through unprotected intercourse with someone who has already been affected with HIV and is an increasing problem in Africa. This study focuses mainly on the causes and effects of this virus in Africa.
HIV is an ongoing battle in many different parts of the world, but it has not affected any other country as strongly and perniciously than in Africa. Out of the 3 million AIDS deaths worldwide, 2.2 million deaths have occurred in Africa.
Although the condom is an effective way to prevent the infection of HIV, in many African societies, women are expected and taught to subordinate their own interest to those of their partners. Because of this, many African women feel powerless and give in to having sex for the fear that, if they refuse, they will be raped anyway. Results show that in most African countries, 40% of the young women in Kenya and in Cameroon are coerced or tricked into sexual intercourse. Since wife abuse is widespread, many women do not dare to bring up the topic of condoms for protection against HIV infection for the fear that they would be physically abused. (Women’s Status. July 29, 2005: www.infoforhealth.org/pr/112/112boxes.shtml)
In many African cultures, a strong emphasis is placed on having children. This leads to childhood marriage ...
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5. (Sexual Practices. July 29, 2005: www.infoforhealth.org/pr/112/112boxes.shtml)
6. (Assessing Condom Effectiveness. July 29, 2005: www.infoforhealth.org/pr/112/112boxes.shtml)
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Perhaps the first thing one must consider is why there are increasing numbers of poor women having children out of wedlock. One explanation of this concept that Edin and Kefalas use is that the poor women view raising their own child as a sense of accomplishment. For instance, they explain “in the social world inhabited by poor women, a baby born into such conditions represents an opportunity to prove one 's worth.” (11.3). Essentially, the women of a low social class view their children as an opportunity for success. It represents a sense of hope and fulfillment that the mother feels when she has a child. Also, interestingly enough, women of a poor class viewed “marriage as a luxury” (11.2). There are also reasons that involve a sense of fear in control. For instance, Edin and Kefalas explain that “poor women do not want to marry until they are set… a young mother often fears marriage will mean a loss of control” (13.3). Essentially, a poor women who has a child
The way individuals raise their children determines on their culture and family dynamics. In the beginning, we meet Ponijao from Namibia, South Africa being raised by his mom and another woman in their village, there is no father in the picture. He grew around siblings, other children and animals in his village. It was normal for his mother’s bathe him with saliva like an animal. While that may strange to others, it is completely normal for Ponijao’s family. Ponijao family dynamic is not nuclear, which makes it complex. Complexity happens when the nuclear family is not present in the living arrangement or parenting style. Roles and relationships differ from the normal man and woman household or marriage structure (Carlson & Meyer,
What would you say if I asked you to tell me what you think is causing the death of so many people in the horn of Africa? AIDS? Starvation? War? Would it surprise you if I told you that it all boils down to the women of Africa? Kofi Annan attempts to do just this in his essay “In Africa, Aids Has a Woman's Face.” Annan uses his work to tell us that women make up the “economic foundation of rural Africa” and the greatest way for Africa to thrive is through the women of Africa's freedom, power, and knowledge.
The spread of aids threatens our population daily. Lives lost to it number over 12 million, including 2 mil...
Every culture has its own unique values, beliefs and norms. Culture defines the identity and interests of a society. Understanding other’s culture is crucial in preparing ourselves for the global experience in the twenty-first century. As the world is becoming more connected to each other, interaction between cultures is unavoidable. I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most diverse cities in the world where I get chance to interact with people of different cultures. In this paper, I will discuss my findings about Family Structure in a Mexican culture, and Dating and Marriage in an African / Gabonese culture. Having a chance to understand various cultures, I realized that beliefs and practices tend to vary from culture to culture.
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...
When Africans were brought to America during slavery they were forced to give up most of their heritage and were usually separated from their families. This common occurrence usually brought about tremendous pain and grief to the slaves. “West Africa family systems were severely repressed throughout the New World (Guttmann, 1976)”. Some slaves tried to continue practices, such as polygamy, that were a part of traditional African cultures but were unsuccessful. However, they were successful in continuing the traditional African emphasis on the extended family. In the extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents played important roles. Slaves weren’t allowed to marry, but they didn’t let that stop them, they created their own marriages. And through all the hardships they had placed on them, they developed strong emotional bonds and family ties. The slaves discouraged casual sexual relationships and placed a lot emphasis on marriage and stability. To maintain some family identity, parents named their children after themselves or other relatives or sometimes gave them African names.
The AIDS virus is the most common disease, and with no cure, an infected person will die. It is estimated that 90 to 95 percent of AIDS infections occur in developing countries where the world’s worst living conditions exist.
The strain is similar because of the nucleotide sequence in simian immunodeficiency disease. HIV was known/ came about around the 1920’s in Kinshasa, a city in the Dominic Republic of Congo, Africa. In 1959, the disease antibodies were identified in blood, however the first documented case was not till 1981. The most affected patients are those that are gay or bisexual men, particularly those that are young African American gay. In 2015, 39,513 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the United states. Gay and bisexual men accounted for 26.375 of HIV infections. The largest number of diagnoses are of African American gay and bisexual man; the number is 10,315. 1,242,000 were living with the virus at the end of 2013. On a global scale, there is 36.7 million people living with HIV. About 2.1 million people were newly affected in 2015. Majority of individuals diagnosed with HIV are living within low and middle income countries. The Saharan Africa region is the most affected area of this virus. HIV infects, individuals, households, communities and countries worldwide. HIV can migrate to a deathlier form called AIDS. AIDS has killed more than 39 million people. This virus can only be transmitted through sex, intravenous drug abuse, blood transfusion, organ transplant, tattooing, and accidental medical needle
The Western Religious leaders and moralists believe only one spouse for life is the highest form of marriage. Some of the most "primitive" peoples are strictly monogamous in their ideals, while some "highly advanced" cultures have moved away from the stri...
Since the first case of HIV infection in Malawi was reported in 1985, (Malawi Government, 2012. 2) approximately 1,100,000 people in Malawi are now living with HIV and AIDS, (UNAIDS. 2013). Malawi is already a country in the throws of socio-economic and developmental challenges. The increase of the number of people infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a world-wide problem and Malawi is experiencing this problem in pandemic proportions. (WHO, 2013).
The Centers for disease control (CDC) has declared AIDS a global pandemic. No one person or group is safe from contracting this virus; knowledge, and safety is the only way you can protect yourself. However, the first black South African diagnosed with AIDS was in 1987, and currently South Africa is home to over 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, making it the largest population on earth with people infected. (3)
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome has been traveling its way through Africa for many years causing the various amounts of deaths, while conditions only worsening the affect on people. While Africa being a developing country, with their lack of knowledge about the disease and the other health issues that causes it to spread faster than they can control. AIDS has taken many lives throughout Africa shortening the average lifespan and leaving the orphanages over flowing with kids that have lost their parents to this drastic disease. The disease has taken over Africa as a whole and turned it into a graveyard that just keeps growing. But as time has progressed there has been more education brought to Africa. AIDS throughout Africa has taken a tremendous
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.
Janet Wash. “Women’s Property Rights Violations and HIV/AIDS in Africa.” Peace Review April-September: Page 190, 192, 193