HIV/AIDS In Sub Saharan Africa | Maambukizi ya Virus Vya UKIMWI Africa

HIV/AIDS IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA | HIV/AIDS SHORT NOTES FOR STUDENTS ALL LEVEL

Our major concern now  to why HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Sub Saharan Africa than any region in Sub Saharan Africa and measures taken to prevent wide spread of HIV/AIDS in the region and our major concern is student of all level means primary, secondary  and higher level of education also even society .

HUMAN IMMUNALDEFIClIENCY VIRUS

HIV/AIDS, this is an abbreviation of Human Immunodeficiency virus and AIDS stand for Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome whereby is the virus that attack the body’s immune system and  if HIV not treated can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) such as Gonorrhea and syphilis . HIV/AIDS can be seen to an infected people through various symptoms like drastic fall of weight, Diarrhea, Fever and Fatigue also until now there is no HIV treatment but there are preventive measures which can be undertaken by an individual or community to prevent the spread of these diseases. In the world the first case of HIV/AIDS was reported in early 1981 in Los Angeles and New York but later on spread to other part of the world including in Africa. In case of Africa the first case HIV/AIDS was reported in central Africa by the late 1970s and the mid-1980s  and the diseases had been spread rapidly over the continent as it was difficult to make immediate prevention due to poor health treatment also the diseases was unknown at that time so the government and health organization took long time to respond over the disease of HIV/AIDS. according to the world Health Organization by 2018 identified that about 25.7 million of people are living with HIV and 1.1 Million of people newly infected with HIV also 470000 Peoples  died from AIDS. Notably  in East Africa the first case was reported in Uganda and then spread to Tanzania in Kagera Region by 1983 and  killed thousands of people in the region especially at  Misenyi District in Kanyigo Village  and later on spread to other region of Tanzania including Njombe, Mbeya, Mwanza and among others. Sub Saharan African countries heavily affected with HIV Epidemic diseases, according to the Joint United Nation Program on HIV/AIDS in 2020 estimated that 20.7 Million of people were living with HIV in Sub Saharan Africa which is more than two third of the global total of people living with HIV also new infection by 2020 estimated to be 1.1 million and death estimated to be 680000. In sub Saharan African countries HIV/AIDS become major scenario which affect the economy also Sub Saharan Countries took various measures to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS but mostly they failed due to the lack of supportive facilities for health care also poverty and mostly due to lack of awareness among the people about HIV/AIDS.

REASON FOR HIGH PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA.

POVERTY

Poverty, In sub Saharan African countries poverty contributed the spread of HIV pandemic diseases in several way as people lack access to healthcare for their regular heath checkup so due to lack of health regular health checkup millions of people in sub Saharan Africa living without knowing their health status. According  Gillespie 2001 argued that poverty drive woman into transactional sex since it influence food insecurity and malnutrition so such behavior increase the rate of HIV transmission. So due to that become difficult to prevent the spread of the HIV Pandemic diseases also in current situation poverty influence economic vulnerability which leads to risk behaviors such as homosexual, prostitution among others which increases the rate of HIV/AIDS to spread in the region. For example due to the poverty the number of sex workers mainly who sell their sex is increasing in major cities of Sub Saharan African countries since sex is the major activities which they depend so as to get money to drive their daily life so due to such economic hardship it’s difficult for African countries to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the regions. Therefore the condition of poverty in the sub Saharan nation has been creating the fertile ground for the rapid spread of HIV\AIDS in the region.

CULTURAL PRACTICES

Also, Cultural practices become a reason to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub Saharan Africa where by some of cultural practiced in some countries in the region  influence wide spread of HIV/AIDS. Such practices including polygamy, Widow Inheritance and early marriage whereby polygamy is legal cultural practices where by men allowed to own more than one wives. Polygamy has been exercised in Sub Saharan Africa society in which Polygamy is widely accepted with no room to HIV test and Condom use before picking   a new wife. For example in Tanzania some society like Sukuma its prestige to have more than one wives also in case of early marriage in most Sub Saharan African countries girls married at early age due to various reason such as the need of bride price where by young girls are unable to negotiate for safe sex due to unequal power balance with their older husband something which may in turn them to infection of HIV/AIDS. For example in Kenya the Turkana Community struggling with early Marriage arranged between an older men with under aged girls in the name of parent to get cow as pride price. So due to such cultural practices in Sub Saharan Africa contributed the wide spread of HIV/AIDS in the region than other part of the world.

BIOLOGICAL REASON

Furthermore, biological reason, also the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan African is due to the biological reasons such as the unsafe sexual intercourse, excessive sexual desire and intentional spread of HIV.  In case of unsafe sexual intercourse most people refused the use of condoms as many of them they thought that the use of condom may reduce sexual enjoyment and most of them lacked educational about the importance of Condom also many people in Sub Saharan Africa has an intention of spreading HIV/AIDS. For example many infected people in Sub Saharan Africa lived with their slogan that “let me die with many other people” also in Sub Saharan Africa HIV/AIDS is higher due to sexual violence like raping which caused by uncontrolled  sexual desire by some boys and men. So such situation created the ground for wider spread of HIV/AIDS in Sub Saharan African Countries like Tanzania.

POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Also, political instability, Sub Saharan Africa Countries its HIV prevalence is high due to various civil wars which facing Sub Saharan Africa since most Sub Saharan African Countries suffered from frequent war as In Democratic republic of Congo there is endless war also Sudan and Rwanda. For example during genocide in Rwanda the United Nation reported that an infected was about 250000 Hutu women raped (UN 2004) also in war the ruling regime cannot funding health services rather than a lot of fund tend to be used in war .So such situation which facing some Sub Saharan African Countries influence the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region.

MEASURES TO PREVENT  PREVALENCE OF HIV/AIDS  IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA

Establishment of Prevention programs, Most Sub Saharan African has took various preventive measures to prevent the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region where by they promoted safe sexual practices which can reduce the risk of wide spread of HIV also various Sub Saharan African Countries government put effort toward preventing Mother to Child transmission which done by providing antiretroviral treatment to HIV positive pregnant woman to prevent the spread of Virus to infant. For example in Tanzania the government provide Condoms and education about HIV/AIDS freely also encourage the citizen to make regular health checkup through various campaign with the intention of preventing wide spread of HIV/AIDS also in Uganda the government has implemented a program to promote voluntary medical male circumcision which seen as the way of reducing the risk of HIV transmission by 60% so this program managed to reduce the number of new infection in Uganda. So by implementing preventive program sub Saharan African countries to some extent reduced the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region.

Community based interventions, this involves working with local people or community to develop various strategies and programs that could combat the issue related to HIV/AIDS such as stigma and discrimination also the ability to access healthcare. For example  in South Africa treatment campaign is community based organization that advocates for right of people living with HIV/AIDS as the organization work to improve the ability of an infected people to access healthcare also reduced stigma and discrimination of an infected people in the South Africa. So by using such measure the Most Sub Saharan Africa n countries has been to reduce the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the region.

Formulation of policy against HIV/AIDS, for the Sub Saharan African countries to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS have been formulated various policy with the aim of reducing the spread and transmission of HIV/AIDS in the region. For example in Tanzania the government by 2001 established National policy on HIV/AIDS with the aim of freeing the countries from HIV pandemic disease and having a new generation which could live without the fear of HIV/AIDS also under the national policy of 2001 on HIV/AIDS the government aimed to reach the aim of Joint United Nation Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) of three zeros which are zero new HIV infection, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS related death. So by that Sub Saharan Africa countries could reduce the prevalence of HIV/AID in their respective countries and in the region.

In generally, although Sub Saharan African Countries took various measures to combat HIV/AIDS but still facing a lot of challenges such as inadequate  human and financial resources to improve health services also low awareness of Sub Saharan African people which caused by their beliefs  and ineffective coordination of mechanism for fighting against HIV as Sub Saharan African believed to be good formulator of policy but not implement due to that the Sub Saharan African Countries they formulate various mechanisms against HIV/AIDS but they did not implement effectively.