Aids Essay Research Paper AIDS in AfricaAcquired — страница 2

related symptoms.(AIDS,1991) Even if we stopped AIDS now the millions of people already living with it would make the disease continue. In Zimbabwe 25 testing sites were set up to test pregnant women’s blood for HIV virus. At two of these sites less then 10% were infected, but at the remaining sites almost half were infected.(Aids in Africa,1994) All pregnant women with the virus have a risk of passing it onto the baby. One other major problem in the spread of AIDS is through rape and sexual abuse. In Africa these kinds of sexual actions are never discussed by the media or by the public. All the sexual problems, whether cultural or personal, are kept secrets. Confronting these issues is so uncommon in this culture that rapists are often “let off the hook,” and go free.(AIDS

the epidemic,1994) In Africa young girls are not willingly being sexually active at young ages. AIDS and HIV are getting spread through crimes and forced sexual contact. Older men and women are spreading this disease whether they know they have it or not. At this point and time, AIDS is incurable, although there are drugs that will increase a patients life span.(Aids in Africa,1994) An older AZT treatment mixed with newer drugs called protease inhibitors will raise the T-cells in the immune system and help strengthen it. (Aids in Africa,1994) This is not a cure, p.3 but it is a start in helping victims of the virus. However there is a problem; this new drug is unavailable to African’s or to expensive.(The AIDS reader,1991) If African health care professionals and government

officials made a greater effort to educate everyone about the danger of AIDS, in the future the death rate could be greatly lowered. The media should be used more openly to discuss problems with the spreading of the disease. Clinics set up in remote areas of the country reach many people who do not have access to modern forms of media. These clinics blend more with the people and their culture should be used to educate the hard to reach people. Law enforcement officials could do their part by enforcing penalties against sexual abusers and not letting them go free. If the people of Africa were informed and had support in dealing with the sexual topics that cause the spread of the disease. Africans would have better lives and not have to suffer through so much sickness and death.

The spread of this disease is mainly due to miss education of Africans and poor medical treatment in Africa. p.4 Flanders, Stephen A. AIDS , Facts on File, New York; 1991 Greenberg, Lorna. AIDS, understanding the epidemic,MN; Life Skills education Inc. 1994 Haney, Daniel Q. Scientist: AIDS came from Chimps, Atlanta Journal and and constitution, GA,1999. Mckenzie, Nancy F. The AIDS reader, US; A meridian Book,1991 Murphy, Dean E. African s Silent Shame, CA; Los Angeles Times, 1998 Aids in Africa A Unaids fact sheet, November 30, Johannesburg, Dec,1999 [http:] gbgm-umc.org/programs/wad98 saepap98.htm/