HIV: A Never-ending Cycle
When a virus begins to attack its host’s immune system, it causes a multitude of problems for its victim, including susceptibility to diseases. But this virus, HIV, doesn’t only harm its host. HIV, which eventually leads to AIDS, has the potential to cause a ripple effect that can destroy people’s lives. Its detrimental effects are most prominent in eastern and southern Africa, where over 19.4 million people are living with the virus. While this region only makes up 6.2 percent of the world’s population, more than half of the people with HIV in the world live here (“HIV”). This ever-increasing number is causing countless problems for children in the area.
HIV and AIDS are one of the main reasons so many African children are being orphaned. According to a UN report, one-third of the orphans in sub-Saharan Africa are orphaned because of AIDS (“AIDS”). This leads to a variety of problems for AIDS orphans, ranging from psychosocial concerns to economic issues. When a child’s parents die, he becomes more susceptible to damaged cognitive and emotional development while also facing discrimination in his everyday life (“Africa's Orphaned Generations”). Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, describes AIDS orphans’ lives as traumatized and unstable because they were “robbed” of their parents, childhoods, and futures (“AIDS”).
Furthermore, HIV and AIDS have created a never-ending cycle of poverty and lack of education for children affected by the virus. The average income drops by about sixty percent in a household where at least one person has AIDS. This, along with increased health care expenses, causes the family to go into debt (Richter) and leaves many children without a way to pay school fees (“Africa”). As a result, they often drop out of school to work or care for their sick parents. HIV/AIDS-affected children are also discriminated against and stigmatized because of their affiliation with the virus. According to Linda Richter, a Ph.D. research fellow at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa, HIV/AIDS has the power to reduce the number of primary school children by twenty-two percent and secondary school children by fourteen percent (Richter).
Due to government neglect of the issues, the burden of providing care and treatment for these children is left to extended families and non-profit organizations. On top of extended families not having enough money to support AIDS-affected children, the foster system in sub-Saharan African countries is not developed enough to provide for these children either (“Africa”). This leaves community-based associations to help AIDS-affected children. But despite their well-founded efforts, these non-profit, non-governmental organizations do not have sufficient funds to make a lasting difference in the lives of AIDS-affected children.
More needs to be done to rectify this situation. Richter provides an alternate way of addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS. She argues that attacking the issue from a broader perspective – the background causes of the HIV epidemic – will ultimately be more effective than just focusing on those who are already affected. Until a solid solution is found, the government can only improve both living and economic conditions and facilitate access to treatment for victims of HIV and AIDS.
Works Cited
“Africa: Neglect of AIDS Orphans Fuels School Drop-Out.” Human Rights Watch, 10 Oct. 2005, www.hrw.org/news/2005/10/10/africa-neglect-aids-orphans-fuels-school-drop-out.
“Africa's Orphaned Generations.” UNICEF, The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), New York, Nov. 2003, www.unicef.org/sowc06/pdfs/africas_orphans.pdf.
“AIDS Orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Looming Threat to Future Generations.” United Nations, United Nations, 2004, www.un.org/events/tenstories/06/story.asp?storyID=400.
“HIV and AIDS in East and Southern Africa Regional Overview.” Avert, 1 Mar. 2018, www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/overview.
Richter, Linda. “The Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Development of Children.” Human Sciences Research Council, 1 Jan. 2004, www.hsrc.ac.za/uploads/pageContent/1670/TheimpactofHIVAIDSonthedevelopmentofchildren.pdf.
I found it interesting how HIV and AIDS are such a huge problem in Africa and how it can cause damage to those who aren't even infected. My main takeaway is that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa harms more than just the infected. How do you think the African government can handle this situation?
ReplyDeleteI found your article very intriguing because I also wrote about HIV and AIDS but I focused more of the issue in Uganda. I really enjoyed how you addressed the issue of orphans because I never went in depth about that issue, but it was interesting to see a different aspect of this issue. My only question would be are there specific countries that are being affected more than others?
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