Women With AIDS in Africa: Treatment Possibilities

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Introduction

The modern world has the tendency that the male and female rights are equal, but in some countries, where economical and social development is n a low level the male domination under female representatives of mankind still exists. The prejudiced attitude to people with AIDS is a common problem, but taking Africa, the women are convinced of AIDS transmission, while men are also guilty of the disaster. The economical and social problems in Africa do not allow the country to provide the necessary protection of women from men in sexual relations, as sexual abuse and rape are not even considered at all. The necessity of medical care and sexual education, in general, is so sharp that the global community should interfere and prevent AIDS distribution in the world through the African continent.

General consideration about AIDS in the world and prejudiced relation to contagious people

The world society has used to the fact that people with AIDS are dangerous and should be treated differently than others. The modern world has used the information that HIV is connected with death and tries to avoid the contagious, thinking that the virus may be transmitted by casual contact. These prejudices are ungrounded and science had proved that casual contact may not be the reason for contamination. It has been proved that contamination may be provided for several reasons, though “sexual contact, exchange of blood, and transmission from an HIV-infected mother to her newborn infant during and after delivery” (Overberg 7). Living in the world of information and being highly educated, people continue to avoid infected people with AIDS. The prejudice is so strong that even the convictions and evidence of the scientists cannot ruin this bias. The world’s prejudice alienates infected people and does not allow them to lead a normal life in the hostile world. People try to protect themselves from the virus, which is not treated as “The threat of AIDS now confronts our generations with the endo earthly life which is all more overwhelming because it is linked, directly or indirectly, to the transmission of life and love” (Overberg 8). Self-preservative instinct is the main reason to avoid AIDS people and to consider them hostile to mankind as a whole.

Cultural, social and economical factors of the increased rate of infected women with AIDS in Africa

There is the version that AIDS has been found first in Central Africa (Overberg 8) and then the infection spread all over the world. There are several factors, which stimulate the development of AIDS infection in African society. Starting with the economical issues, the countries of Africa are the countries of the third world and the economy is very weak in the area. The poverty of the African region is the main reason for the high rate of AIDS-infected. The health care is weak and there is no ability to treat others from AIDS diseases, which increase susceptibility to HIV. Poverty pushes some women for commercial sex relations, which increases the opportunities for them to be infected (Lovell 3). The inability for most households in Africa to be provided with enough food supply also increases the possibility to be AIDS-infected as bad nutrition is one of the main causes of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome appearance (Akinboade 875).

The social factor, in the combination with cultural considerations, is not avoided. African men have used to the fact that they are dominant and may do whatever they want. The cases of violent behavior directed at women in Africa are numerous. Essex is sure that gender-based violence is the main factor, which promotes the development of AIDS infection in society. The severe beating, rape, and abuse, directed on women, are the main forms of AIDS delivery. Sexual slavery is developed in Africa and this is the sad cultural peculiarity in the African culture. The spread of AIDS is supported by the fact that most women are not informed about their AIDS infections. The cultural relations in Africa are so that women are convicted in the AIDS spread in the society. “Fear of social stigma, physical harm, isolation and loneliness, and/or abandonment by loved ones, family, and friends” (Essex 659) often make women keep in secret their HIV diagnosis that increases the rate of AIDS distribution. The problem is that women are convinced in the AIDS distribution in most cases and the men’s guilt is not considered at all. When the symptoms appear, the women are the first who should be checked and the men are not even thought to be the AIDS infection deliverers (Essex 659). When sex is in the focus, African women do not have any rights, they are not allowed to express their either desire or reluctance to go on sexual contact, moreover, whether to use the condom or not is also the will of the man, and women cannot express their opinion in the question because of cultural customs and prejudices. Male domination is the main cultural aspect in the African world and to ruin such tradition is impossible as it was created by years and the current state of affairs is convenient for the governing powers of the African countries.

The treatment possibilities for women with AIDS

The poverty of the African countries and unstable social and economical position is some of the main reasons, why global attention should be paid to the problem of AIDS in Africa. “Many obstacles are still presented to people trying to access the government’s free antiretroviral treatment program. The lag in treatment targets has also forced those in need of immediate medication to seek alternative means of care or die trying” (“Africa” 1) said Prudence Mabela. And such an announcement may not be avoided. There are some programs, which have already been functioning in African society to identify AIDS-infected people and to treat them. The Joint United Nation’s Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) provides the information which depicts the rate of deaths in Africa because of AIDS and provides some decisions about the treatment, the main focus of which is the whole reorganization of the social behavior in African countries, the shift of the attention from male domination in the society to the health problem and to make it dominant (Baylies and Bujra 2).

The treatment of the population should be provided on two levels, governmental and local. The government is mostly responsible for the national programs, which include the strategies of the battle with the virus and the problem decision on the global country level. The problem should be also tried to be decided on the local level. The attitude to sex should be changed basically and the squeamish about sex should be stopped. Being aggressive in sex relations, being tied up with the male domination in sex, inability to express their dissatisfaction about their treatment by men in sex, women support the spread of the disease. Sex should be talked about. The African consideration is that sex is the forbidden theme, this is wrong. The sex themes should be discussed and explained to young girls. The tests of pregnant women for HIV may give the chance for their children to be healthy in the case of a woman being infected. Modern science knows a lot of methods of how to have a healthy child from an infected mother and the treatment in the cases should be relevant. Ne of the main ways to protect the AIDS spread and to support its treatment is the ability to say “no” (“The battle with AIDS”).

Sexual education in Africa

Sexual education in Africa is on a very low level, and this promotes the distribution of AIDS in African society. The coming World AIDS Day, which is considered to be on the 1st of December pushed the publishers to crate the interview with India. Arie, who tries to implement her knowledge in African society. Her education starts with the persuasion to make the AIDS test for all men and women, who are in sexual relations. India. Arie says that “in America you see people living with HIV… in Africa people die of AIDS; it’s a death sentence” (Moody 228). People’s poverty and inability to know their diagnosis are the reasons for people dying, while in other countries people live with such diagnoses. The ability to know the problem’s existence is halfway to the treatment and reduction of AIDS cases in African society. The importance of sexual education in Africa was understood in the 1950s when the Nigerian government attempted to provide sexual education in relevance to AIDS danger in the area (Cooper 111).

The main concept of sexual education should be directed on women, who should be taught to say no to their partners or at least to encourage them to make their partners use condoms during sexual contact (“The battle with AIDS”). The research, provided by Olaleye et al showed that “less than half (47/103) of the respondents had never been reached with any form of HIV/AIDS education program” (Olaleye et al 215), which is the main push for the government to include the basic educational programs with the intrusion of sexual education to African people. Moreover, the same investigation showed that 26 of 36 new knew about AIDS, but 23 % were ignorant about the epidemic issue of the problem (Olaleye et al 215).

Conclusion

In conclusion, sexual relations in African countries are supported by the cultural domination of men in the region. The spread of AIDS is a global problem, and the rate of infected people in Africa is at the highest level. The delivery of AIDS in African countries is promoted by the weak economical position, the social problems, and the cultural attitude to sex in general. Women in Africa have used to the fact that they may be abused, raped, and beaten, but they do not have an opportunity to tell about their problems for two reasons, first, women do not have any rights, second, sex is taboo in Africa region. The problem may be solved, first with the global attention to the African problem and the help with treatment on the medical level as well as the education of society to make them protect themselves from AIDS either by condom usage or the refusal from sexual relations in general.

Works Cited

“Africa.” International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 18(6), 2005. Print.

“The battle with AIDS.” The Economist. 2000. Print.

Akinboade, O.A. “Gender, HIV-AIDS, land restitution and survival strategies in the Capricorn district of South Africa.” International Journal of Social Economics. 35(11), 2008, pp. 857-877. Print.

Baylies, Carolyn Louise and Janet M. Bujra. AIDS, sexuality and gender in Africa: collective strategies and struggles in Tanzania and Zambia. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2000. Print.

Cooper, Frederick. Africa since 1940: the past of the present. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.

Essex, Myron. AIDS in Africa. New York: Springer, 2002. Print.

Lovell, V. AIDS in Africa: help the victims or ignore them? New York: Nova Publishers, 2002. Print.

Moody, Nekesa Mumbi. “An awakening.” Essence, 36(8), 2005, p. 228. Print.

Olaleye, Adeniyi O., Anoemuah, Olayinka A., Ladipo, Oladapo A., Delano, Grace E. and Grace F. Idowu. “Sexual behaviors and reproductive health knowledge among in-school young people with disabilities in Ibadan, Nigeria.” Health Education, 107(2), 2007, pp. 208-218. Print.

Overberg, Kenneth R. Ethics and AIDS: compassion and justice in a global crisis. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print.

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