HIV/AIDS in Africa

Two thirds of the population affected by HIV/AIDS world-wide are from Saharan Africa. In 2009 an estimated 1.3 million children and adults in the continent died as a of AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for an estimated 69 percent of all people living with HIV and 70 percent of all AIDS deaths in 2011. 59% of affected people are women and 91 percent of the worlds HIV-positive children live in Africa. Even health-care professionals are not spared from HIV/AIDS. Between 1999 and 2005, 17% of Botswana's health-care workforce died from AIDS. The number of health workers is decreasing daily because not enough pay, the workloads are too much, and leaving to European and North American countries for greener pastures. Due to an insufficient supply of antiretroviral drugs and health care providers in 2010, only 5 of the 10 million HIV-positive patients in Africa were able to receive treatment. Because of HIV/AIDs, the average lifeexpectancy in sub-Saharan Africa is 54.4 years of age. In some countries in Africa, its below 49.

When parents die from this disease, most of the time relatives talk the responsibility and care for the children left . Not only are the families torn apart, but one or both parent are affected with AIDS they are no longer able to work and takes any valuable assets they might have. They no longer have income coming in. This also affects the African Governement because they have lost tax revenues.

In the past the Government in Sub-Saharan Africa didnt think there was a problem with AIDS. They have now agreed there is and have started to work toward a solution. The global response to HIV and AIDS has also improved in recent years. Funding comes from many sources, the largest are the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the number of HIV positive people in Africa receiving anti-retroviral treatment rose from 1 million to 7.1 million between 2005 and 2012, that is a 805% increase.

These organizations help by giving counseling and education, condom distribution, risk-reduction workshops, and community awareness events. These organizations recruit and train peer actors and educators, program coordinators, and outreach workers in cities and rural communities to conduct interventions. When prevention is not an option, they work with community partners to ensure that children and young adults infected with HIV/AIDS receive health care, educational and vocational training, and supplemental food. They also work to ensure that educational fees are paid, so these children and young adults can attend school. The number of deaths related in Africa and Sub-Saharan African to AIDS in 2011 was 32 percent less than the number in 2005. The number of new HIV infections in Africa in 2011 has also dropped to 33 percent less than the number in 2001. Over the same period the new HIV positive cases in Sub-Saharan Africa, have declined by 25%. One strategy to prevent HIV infection is the abstinence, be faithful, or use a condom. This promotes safer sexual behavior and targets the need for fidelity, fewer sexual partners, and to start having sex at a later age. This message wasnt that effective. So they had counselors go door to door giving prevention advice, urging HIV testing and referring infected people to treatment. Condoms have doubled in recent years because it is an inexpensive provision to offer to both the HIV-positive and negative.

http://www.aidforafrica.org/member-charities/african-child-care-association-inc/ http://www.dosomething.org/actnow/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-hivafrica%E2%80%8E http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Africa http://www.avert.org/hiv-and-aids-africa.htm