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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Illness & addiction: social aspects > AIDS: social aspects
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AIDS in Africa - A Pandemic on the Move (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,318
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AIDS in Africa - A Pandemic on the Move (Hardcover)
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Sub-Saharan Africa has been more severely affected by AIDS than any
other part of the world. The United Nations reports that 25.4
million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in the
region, which has about 10 per cent of the world's population but
nearly 64 per cent of the world-wide total of infected people. The
overall rate of infection among adults in sub-Saharan Africa is 7.4
per cent, compared with 1.1 per cent world-wide. Ten countries in
southern Africa have infection rates above 10 per cent and account
for 30 per cent of infected adults world-wide. By the end of 2004,
an estimated 25.3 million Africans will have died of AIDS,
including a 2004 estimate of 2.3 million deaths. AIDS has surpassed
malaria as the leading cause of death in Africa, and it kills many
times more Africans than war. In Africa, 57 per cent of those
infected are women. Experts relate the severity of the African AIDS
epidemic to the region's poverty, the relative lack of empowerment
among women, high numbers of men living as migrant workers, and
other factors. Health systems are ill-equipped for prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment.;AIDS' severe social and economic
consequences are depriving Africa of skilled workers and teachers
while reducing life expectancy by decades in some countries. An
estimated 12.3 million AIDS orphans are currently living in Africa,
facing increased risk of malnutrition and reduced prospects for
education. AIDS is being blamed for declines in agricultural
production in some countries, and is regarded as a major
contributor to hunger and famine. Donor governments,
non-governmental organisations, and African governments have
responded through prevention programs intended to reduce the number
of new infections and by trying to ameliorate the damage done by
AIDS to families, societies, and economies. The adequacy of this
response is the subject of much debate. An estimated 310,000 Africa
AIDS patients were being treated with antiretroviral drugs at the
end of 2004, up from 150,000 six months earlier. However, an
estimated 4 million are in need of the therapy. US and other
initiatives are expected to sharply expand the availability of
treatment in the near future. Advocates see expanded treatment as
an affordable means of reducing the impact of the
pandemic.;Sceptics question whether treatment can be widely
provided without costly improvements in health infrastructure. US
concern over AIDS in Africa grew during the 1980s, as the severity
of the epidemic became apparent. Legislation enacted in the 106th
and the 107th Congresses increased funding for world-wide HIV/AIDS
programs. H.R. 1298, signed into law (P.L. 108-25) on May 27, 2003,
authorised $15 billion over five years for international AIDS
programs. President Bush announced his Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) in the 2003 State of the Union message. Twelve of
the 15 focus countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Under the FY2006
budget request, they would receive a 54 per cent boost in aid, to
$1.2 billion, through the State Department's Global HIV/AIDS
Initiative. Nonetheless, activists and others urge that more be
done in view of the scale of the African pandemic. This new books
presents a nutshell analysis of this desperate situation.
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