AIDS/HIV Epidemic In Africa

World GeographySub-Saharan Africa is made up of about ten percent of the world's population. In 2001, officials estimated that nearly two-thirds of the 40 million people living with HIV resided in this region (Hearing 1). And what makes this epidemic so unique, is that the virus is indiscriminate to all of the people living there with almost the same number of women affected as men. So the question remains: how is it that this epidemic could have evolved into what it is today? The answer to this question is not a simple one. The HIV epidemic that has taken control of Sub-Saharan Africa is a result of a lack of funding for education and HIV prevention, cultural obstacles, poor economic conditions, and blatant political ignorance. In addition to these factors, I believe that there are a few geological factors that have contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic in that region.

Definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the...

Linguistically, sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by...

Aids in Africa - Life expectancy in some AIDS-rava...

It is in my opinion that unless something is done, Sub-Saharan Africa will loose its fight against HIV/AIDS.

Since 1994, genocide, civil war, and escalating violence have plagued Sub-Saharan Africa. Today officials have begun to describe the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa as "catastrophic" (2). In 2002, officials reported that the ongoing violence has nearly 70,000 people, and has left more than a million people facing serious food shortages (2B). As a result of the ongoing violence, funds are being reallocated from healthcare and education to fund these wars. As a result, many HIV/AIDS prevention organizations have been forced to shut down, thus allowing HIV/AIDS to spread even quicker. In fact, of 24 million HIV, a large number of them are unaware that they are infected. Because of this, heterosexual contact becomes a major transmission route of young adults in Africa (3).

Another contributing factor to the increasing HIV/...