A).
GENERAL OVERVIEW*
The paper presents the general status of HIV/AIDS in East Africa
and Africa in general. It draws most of its materials from articles,
commentaries and publications on HIV/AIDS in the region and focuses
on the magnitude of the problem, constraints to HIV/AIDS prevention
and control, the impacts of the disease, and the main approaches
to interventions in the region. Finally, the paper looks at the
current trends and outlines the role of LWR in the region.
i) Magnitude of the problem and ramifications
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has become an emergency in the region. In
the last two decades it has grown by leaps and bounds. Starting
from nil in the early 1980s, by 1998, Sub-Sahara Africa had 22 million
people infected with HIV/AIDS. At the time, UNAIDS estimated the
total AIDS infection in the world to be 34 million people. In Kenya
where the first AIDS case was reported in 1984, it is now estimated
that 2.2 million people are infected in a population of around 30
million people. One out of 6 adults are infected. By June 1999,
there were 87,070 reported AIDS cases, while the actual number of
AIDS cases was estimated to be 760,000 and 1,900,000 HIV infections
in Kenya. Below is an example of the HIV/AIDS in some selected sites
in Kenya.
COAST PROVINCE IN KENYA: Data obtained from hospitals in
coast province give a shocking revelation. For example, during the
year 2000, out of 35,201 admissions in the medical wards, 15,840
were HIV/AIDS related cases and out of the 2,243 deaths, 1,346 were
HIV/AIDS related. Below is the trend given by monthly screening
for HIV/AIDS by the Ministry of Health at the Coast.
Year 2000 Monthly trends on HIV/AIDS tests at the coast, Kenya
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV Number Screened 127
163 229 170 225 213 201 215 233 237 244 HIV positive 72 114 153
105 134 142 107 131 145 151 153 % Of HIV positive 57 70 67 62 60
67 53 61 65 64 63
NB. The statistics represent HIV/AIDS preference on those seeking
medical services and not the general HIV/AIDS status in the general
population.
Countries in the region, notably, Kenya and Uganda have declared
HIV/AIDS National Disasters. Estimates in Kenya projected 3.0 million
infections by 2005 against 2.2 million in 2000. Death rate is expected
to rise, at all ages from 560 persons per day in 2000 to 740 persons
per day in 2005. Projections for 2000 seem to have been surpassed.
The US government has given $20m to fight HIV/AIDS in Kenya. The
need to target the youth is highlighted by the fact that the infection
rates are growing astronomically among girls aged 15-19, mainly
those that are sexually active and have dropped out of school due
to poverty. Statistics show that 20% of the girls, aged between
14-19 in Western Kenya, are HIV positive but only 2% of the boys
in the same age have HIV/AIDS.
Infection rate differs with respect to urbanization, regions, and
communities and from one country to another. The range is between
10-30%. In 2000, alone 2 Million people in Africa died of AIDS.
Africa has two thirds of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the
World. The case study below provides an insight into HIV/AIDS spread
in the continent.
Case study: The setting is the African continent, key players
are the United Nations Department for Information, and the debate
is the HIV/AIDS preference on country per country basis. Read all
in the attachment ‘ AIDS in an endangered continent’
The
UN Security Council recognizes AIDS in Africa as a threat to social
and political stability. HIV/AIDS can infect anybody; doctors, preachers,
priests, mothers and children. It does not respect class and status
in the society; it doesn’t differentiate color, background
or believes. It kills indiscriminately and has a long incubation
period in healthy societies where it waits to strike when least
expected. The case study below indicates the extent and outreach
of the disease.
Case study: The setting is the Catholic Church and the players
and victims are some of the men and women dedicated to serve the
Lord. Read how the priests sought Nuns for fear of contracting AIDS
in ‘Nuns sexually abused, says report’.
