AIDS first became widely recognized throughout the world almost twenty years ago when, in 1984, a 12 year old boy named Ryan White was officially diagnosed with the virus in Indianapolis after receiving a blood transfusion. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) have since spread rapidly to other countries all over the world, with the continent of Africa having been affected the worst. HIV/AIDS has been predicted to be the world's worst epidemic since the bubonic plague killed millions of people in Europe in the 14th century. Stated in a 2001 report made by the United Nations, "AIDS is the biggest threat to Africa's development." It not only affects Africa in terms of economy, but it has also hindered the advancement of Africa's society as a whole. The number of HIV/AIDS victims is quickly rising in West Africa despite many of these countries having previously had relatively stable rates of the disease in previous years.
President Obama signs the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Trea...
English: This photo of Ryan White was taken by me ...
English: IPSF HIV/AIDS Campaign LogoMy analysis of HIV/AIDS in West Africa will begin with a presentation of substantial proof that HIV and AIDS are serious problems affecting West Africa, then an examination of why this problem exists, and I will conclude with a few possible solutions to the steadily increasing HIV/AIDS problem in West Africa and the world as a whole.
Since the beginning of the history of HIV and AIDS, increasing numbers of people have been contracting and dying from these diseases in West Africa. With over 28.1 million HIV- or AIDS-positive men, women, and children in Africa at the end of 2001, this continent is home to almost 70% of the total HIV and AIDS victims world-wide. The mass migration of people to West African towns and cities is considered to be a major reason that the HIV/AIDS...