Santimano+Rahul

Rahul Santimano 995494317 CCT205H5 Professor Gail Benick, Professor Mike Jones Thursday, February 5th, 2009

The Age of Death: AIDS and South Africa

From the black plague to the SARS crisis, there have been many epidemics throughout the world. However, one issue has remained prevalent and unyielding throughout history: the AIDS epidemic. Gone are the days of “free love” of the 1980’s, as we now are forced to usher in a new era of caution and disease. Holding the brunt of the burden are the developing nations - countries who have no resources or means to deal with the massive eruption of AIDS. Due to political unrest, mass poverty and improper education, many countries lack the essential tools to deal with this dilemma. A clear example of this can be seen through the country of South Africa, which is “experiencing one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in the world.”(1) While there are a plethora of countries over-wrought with the same problems, the issues in South Africa are amplified to a certain degree. As stated by the AIDS Foundation of South Africa, a “combination of factors seem to be responsible for this including: poverty and social instability, high levels of sexually transmitted infections, the low status of women, sexual violence, high mobility (particularly migrant labour), and lack of good governance.”(2) All of these factors contribute to the growing number of AIDS victims in South Africa and are due in part to the political history of South Africa – specifically the apartheid; the people are still beginning to learn how to work with one another. As maintained by the author, Sakhela Buhlungu, in the book State of the Nation, the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, “has its origins in the massive social disruptions of the apartheid,”(3) and ultimately, the long term effects of this were only felt after. It affected not only the social sector, but also the political and economic sectors of the country, seemingly reverberating through every part of the country. While the country is still attempting to find a way to properly deal with this situation, there have been many accounts where the state has intervened – but to this day the efforts simply not enough. According to UNAIDS, as of 2007 “there were approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa and almost 1,000 AIDS death occurring every day.”(4) With such high volumes of people suffering there is a definite cause and effect occurring in South Africa. Politically, the epidemic has sent the country in a downward spiral, making it hard for it to come out without massive casualties. One might say that it is a vicious circle, the country is unable to deal with the epidemic, and due to the epidemic there is little chance of the country’s economic problems being alleviated. While there are processes being implemented to make a difference in the country, attempting to make certain social practices and behavioral changes is a long and tedious process; one which may take years to fully function.(5) A clear delineation of this is seen in the fact that because South Africa is so crippled with poverty, they are unable to make widespread change in a short amount of time – thus allowing the disease to spread more and more. Once again, it is an issue of a cyclical nature: the country is attempting to make a change, yet is unable to, as the disease keeps growing in large amounts while South Africa attempts to eradicate poverty, and other social issues. As the situation continues, there seems to be an effect on the immigration and the world view of South Africa. The country itself has been unable to reach a better standard of living for any part of their population as the disease limits their chances of economic growth. Since a large population of the country is ill and unable to work, this leads to supply shortages. Additionally, a large amount of money is contributed to the health sector so the chances of the government being able to pump money into the economy are significantly lower than other countries. The political and economic issues which arise from a country where “71% of deaths among those aged between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS”(6) are extremely taxing to the nation state. The political issues are obvious in regards to AIDS in South Africa, yet one is also able to see that there are severe community issues which are arising from this epidemic. The country of South Africa has major cities with large rural lands – the majority of people living in those rural lands tend to be impoverished. In these parts the level of vulnerability and susceptibility to the disease is quite high, so one is able to see the correlation between disease and poverty in South Africa. The rural areas also are home to the many people from the larger cities in South Africa who cannot be accommodated at the many overcrowded city hospitals.(7) As many households – or people within the household, are HIV positive, the psychological and social problems are prevalent even before the victim succumbs to death.(8) The problems go from a fear of whether or not they will contract the disease from someone they know, or someone within their family, to the “fear and despair that usually follows the diagnosis”(9) and to finally issues which finally have to be addressed when someone is tested positive. From there on out, the life of an average South African becomes arduous and ill-fated, as many of them are unable to pay for the medicine and the treatment required to live a normal life. In the case of poverty, many families may or not be impoverished, yet upon contracting the disease, many fall into debt, and ultimately see a “loss of income and support when a breadwinner or caregiver becomes ill, the diversion of household resources to provide care, the terrible burden upon family members, particularly children caring for terminally ill parents, and the trauma of bereavement and orphanhood.”(10) All issues which make poverty hard to accept – making the ultimate death of the diseased ever worse. It is not to say that throughout all of this, the government of South Africa did not do anything to help alleviate the issues occurring in the country. Since the beginning, the government has been cautiously aware of the growing threat within their country, administering programs to help and facilitate learning and understanding on the subject, as well as foster a sense of volunteerism and humanitarianism in generations to come.(11) Due to other efforts which have sprung forth from this, one is able to see an ever-growing base of people who wish to change the lives of the suffering in countries such as South Africa. Among these include the UNAIDS program and the Doctors without Borders; organizations which have only shown us the tip of the iceberg in the struggle to rid the world of this debilitating disease. In light of the understandings of AIDS and HIV in South Africa, one must ask what can be changed and what can be done to make sure no large group of people or country encounters this epidemic ever again.

Footnotes

1."HIV & AIDS in South Africa." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. 02 Feb. 2009 . 2."Aids Foundation South Africa: HIV/AIDS in South Africa." Aids Foundation South Africa. 02 Feb. 2009 . 3.Buhlungu, Sakhela, John Daniel, and Roger Southall, eds. State of the Nation : South Africa 2007. Detroit: Human Sciences Research Council, 2007. 302. 4."HIV & AIDS in South Africa." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. 02 Feb. 2009 . 5."Aids Foundation South Africa: HIV/AIDS in South Africa." Aids Foundation South Africa. 02 Feb. 2009 . 6."HIV & AIDS in South Africa." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. 02 Feb. 2009 . 7."Aids Foundation South Africa: HIV/AIDS in South Africa." Aids Foundation South Africa. 02 Feb. 2009 . 8.Ibid. 9.Ibid. 10.Ibid. 11.Buhlungu, Sakhela, John Daniel, and Roger Southall, eds. State of the Nation : South Africa 2007. Detroit: Human Sciences Research Council, 2007. 304.

Bibliography

1. "Aids Foundation South Africa: HIV/AIDS in South Africa." Aids Foundation South Africa. 02 Feb. 2009 .

2. Buhlungu, Sakhela, John Daniel, and Roger Southall, eds. State of the Nation : South Africa 2007. Detroit: Human Sciences Research Council, 2007. 304.

3. "HIV & AIDS in South Africa." AIDS & HIV information from the AIDS charity AVERT. 02 Feb. 2009 .

4. Tutu, Desmond. AIDS and South Africa : The Social Expression of a Pandemic. Ed. Kyle Dean Kauffman and David L. Lindauer. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

5. Walker, Liz, Graeme Reid, and Morna Cornell. Waiting to Happen : HIV/AIDS in South Africa-the Bigger Picture. New York: Lynne Rienner, Incorporated, 2004.

6. Zungu-Dirwayi, M. Audit of HIV/AIDS Policies : In Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Detroit: Human Sciences Research Council, 2004.