Aids In Africa Essay Research Paper A

Aids In Africa Essay, Research Paper A Brief History Of AID S Throughout time there have been many things that have hurt the human race severely. Natural disasters, cancer, famine, and many other dreadful problems. However, what has and still is harming the entire human race the most, is the AIDS virus. The fact that it can spread so quickly and can not be detected very easily is why this is such an issue. One of the places that this virus has hit the hardest is on the continent of Africa. Africa is so poor, and was so unprepared for this disease, the death rate from this disease is at an all time high. The AIDS virus, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is a fatal disease that has is believed to have come from Africa. It was first diagnosed in Africa and the United

States in the early 1970 s. The slow forming part of the disease, called HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, spread across the globe throughout the 1980 s. Another place that the virus was identified was in the United States and France among homosexuals. The patterns and different ways that this disease can spread have changed over the last 25 years and is becoming a larger threat every day. (1.) The actual disease HIV, causes immune system damage. It is spread from blood to blood, sexual intercourse, bodily fluids, and from mother to child. About seventy percent of AIDS has been transmitted from sexual intercourse when people do not use condoms. Two other ways in that the AIDS virus is transmitted is between syringes, and also from unscreened blood transfusions. Some cases

have also shown that breast milk has also been infected with the AIDS virus and can be directly passed from mother to child. Some of the places that the AIDS virus can be found devastating is in third world countries. Countries with poor economies and infrastructures can not handle the burden of this new and deadly disease. Along with AIDS comes a laundry list of new and very important precautions and new expenditures that must be taken care of in order to combat the virus. Current Events Of The AID S Virus In Africa Today s Africa is the most infected place on the planted. The AID S virus has taken its toll here, and Africa is still feeling its wrath. Out of every ten people, one person has AID S in southern Africa. The AID S virus has become more and more dominant in Africa in

the past few years for a few reasons. The main reason that the virus is doing so well and keeps on prospering is because of the promiscuity and ignorance of people in Africa. The African people are not well educated in safe sex, and will never be unless there is more available information. Another key factor in the spreading of the AID S virus in Africa is poverty and the inability to buy new virus combating drugs. Recently, the United States has joined the AID S prevention team with Africa. On July 20, 2000, the United States offered about $ 1 billion dollars to sub-Saharan Africa. This money may be used to buy AID S related drugs and other materials from United States firms. Today, about 300 million dollars a year is being spent to help fight and prevent the AID S virus. In

recent United Nation studies it is shown that about 3 billion dollars a year is needed to make any sort of positive impact. (3.) Africa continues to dwarf the rest of the world on the AIDS balance sheet. (7.)-Meaning that because Africa has so many people with AIDS, it makes all other countries look as if they are much better off than they really are. According to many sources like UNAIDS and WHO, which are national AIDS prevention groups, more than 7 out of 10 newly affected people in 1998 live in Africa. Children under the age of 15 make up most of these new statistics because they are born with the virus. Since the epidemic has started, more than 83% of the causalities have taken place in sub-Saharan Africa and only one-tenth of the worlds population lives in Africa south of