The world responds to HIV

Abstract

The statics are there to prove the prevalence of HIV Aids in Africa. Approximately two thirds of the World’s population with the virus is found in Africa. Of the countries in Africa with the highest prevalent cases are found in the south Saharan region. South Africa and Uganda are some of the most affected countries with cases of up to 40% of their respective population being affected or infected with the virus. There are various explanations for this with the most common being poverty, lack of education on HIV, absence of condoms to the public and so on.

However, of the reasons behind the rapid spread of HIV, the most frequently overlooked is politics. Close examination of this aspect, it is quite evident that political denial has had a substantial impact on the spread of HIV in most parts of the World. Over the years, there have been numerous encounters between politics and the HIV virus on many fronts. Each one of these encounters played a significant part in the spread of the virus. It is for this reason that according to many, HIV aids is the most political disease in the World. There is also certainly no disputing the power of political will in combating the spread of the HIV virus.

Introduction

When it comes to government response in combating or checking the spread of HIV in Uganda and South Africa, the two countries lie on the opposite side of the fence. While Uganda is renowned the world over for its response in combating the epidemic, South Africa is yet to take the initiative to deal with this problem. The Ugandan government has received accolades while the South African government widespread condemnation for its non-responsiveness to the matter at hand. Political will has to count in such a case in how the problem is dealt with. It is due to political will or even lack of it that the virus continues to plague the African continent.

Uganda

The first HIV cases in Uganda were recorded as early as the year 1982. For the better part of the last two decades, the virus has devastated the small nation with no end seemingly near. The years before and those following the report of the first cases, the country was embroiled in many political and military coups that made the situation less than stable. The government of the day was most certainly busy, keen on staying in office rather than deal with the initial reported cases. This is the reason why the virus spread rapidly over the first few years.

Little or no attention was paid to the virus until when it got out of control in the late 1980s. At this time, the prevalent cases were up to about 30% in the urban areas. The initiative was led by the country’s president, Yoweri Museveni. If it were not for the president, I do not think Uganda would have made so much progress in combating the menace (Parkhurst, 2001). When he came into power, he made it a personal matter to eradicate the virus that was devastating the people. Formation of national AIDS control bodies to combat the virus along with international aid bodies have seen the prevalent cases drop by up to 10% in the past few years.

In Uganda, the women are the most affected with the virus. Statistics show that women account for up to 57% of the total number of adults living with the virus. Women in Uganda tend to get married or become sexually active at a relatively young age than their male counterparts, which exposes them to the virus before they get to learn (Garbus and Marseille, 2003).

In combating the virus in Uganda, the process can be divided into three stages. Each stage coincided with a specific period in time. In the initial stage, the target was to educate the masses and try to control the outbreak in the 1980s. In the second stage, the government formed community groups as well as introducing policies that were adopted to fight the break out in the 1990s. It also provided condoms to the masses free. This stage saw the cases drop down by about 50%. The third and final stage was to manage the virus as best as they could. Free medication to manage the condition was on offer in all public hospitals.

South Africa

South Africa has the largest population of people living the HIV virus in the World. With a prevalence rate of over 17% for those aged between 15 and 49 years it is no wonder that it is at the centre of attention for not responding adequately to the infection rates earlier on. The first cases of HIV were recorded in 1982. At that time, the country was still a colony and the colonial government did little in the way of combating the virus. It is as if the Dutch were waiting for the whole nation to die off before they could put measures in place to combat the menace (Boone and Batsell, 2001).

The most affected people are the women and especially the youth. The high levels are generally due to the poverty levels that are prevalent in the slums and ghettos. Lack of proper education has also been blamed for the spread of the virus. The government has forgotten it duties by not educating the youth about the virus; now they die as the whole world watches (Schneider and Fassin, 2002).

The government’s inaction at the crucial stage is what has brought about the increase in infections. Up to until recently, the government denied that this was a national problem. Of surprise is the fact that even the former president, Thabo Mbeki, went on record refusing to acknowledge the link between HIV and Aids (Mbali, 2004). This shows the kind of attitude adopted by the government in combating the virus. It is for this reason that the virus has continued to devastate the people in South Africa with no end in sight.

Summary

      A study of the two countries in relation to the effort put in by the political arms in a country, it is quite evident that politics pays a major role in the spread of the HIV virus. There is supposed to be political will if the war against this menace is to be combated successfully. The early response to the war against the virus has ensured that Uganda has the upper hand at the moment in the fight against HIV. Despite the fact that South Africa is putting in the effort to fight the virus, it still has a long way to go (2004).

Conclusion

In order for each of the two countries to succeed in completely eradicating the HIV menace, there should be political will. The ruling class should take every step necessary to ensure that the war against HIV is worn.

References

Boone, C. & Batsell, J. (2001).  “Politics and AIDS in Africa: Research agendas for political science and international relations.” Africa Today, 48(2); 3-33.

Garbus, L. & Marseille, E. (2003). HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Country AIDS Policy Analysis Project, AIDS Policy Research Center, University of California San Francisco.

Mbali, Mandisa (2004). “AIDS discourses and the South African state: Government denialism and post-apartheid AIDS policy-making.” Transformation, 54(1); 104-122.

Parkhurst, Justin (2001). “The crisis of AIDS and the politics of response: The case of Uganda,” International Relations, 15(6); 69-87.

Russell, Gregg (1998). “Hard-hit Uganda making progress against AIDS.” CNN Interactive.

Schneider, H. & Fassin, Didier (2002). “Denial and defiance: A socio-political analysis of AIDS in South Africa,” AIDS, 16; S45-S51.

Willan, Samantha (2004). “Briefing: Recent changes in the South African government’s HIV/AIDS policy and its implementation.” African Affairs, 103(410); 109-117.