AIDS in South Africa

Children Orphaned by HIV/AIDS in South Africa Rebecca Overcash

AIDS by numbers
It is estimated that over 15 million people under the age of 18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS worldwide.
11.6 million of these live in Sub-Sahara Africa.
1.4 million of these are in South Africa alone.
About 15% of orphans are 0-4 years old, 35% are 5-9 years old, and 50% are 10-14 years old.
It is the leading cause of death in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Possible Causes
Right now it is believed that HIV was first spread to humans, but it isn't very significant in Africa’s problem today.
There are many factors for the possible causes of the rapid spread and growth in Africa.
Most of them are the result of unsafe sex, not through unsafe injections.
Some of the main ones are: poverty; poor economic situations; civil wars and fighting; gender inequality; sexual violence; other STDs; lack of male circumcision; and ineffective national leadership.
Many people are malnourished, causing their immune system to weaken, increasing the risk of HIV becoming AIDS.
There is still not sufficient medical help and attention, causing the spread to be greater than what it needs to be.

Emotional Effect on Children
Children who grow up with their parents having HIV/AIDS often have to experience negative changes within their lives.
They not only have to go through the trauma of their parent(s) having AIDS and the issues that come along with that, but often the death of their parent(s) also.
When a parent dies, most children usually have little, if any, support. They are sometimes separated from siblings, which only makes the situation harder to deal with.

Education
A child’s education is often affected if they have a parent or any other family member with AIDS.
They might not get to attend school because they are at home taking care of their sick parents, or do not perform well because of the stress of the situation.
Once orphaned, the expenses of uniforms, books, etc. might become an issue for the new caregiver, resulting in a child not even having the chance to attend school.

HIV/AIDS Prevention
The Soul City Project- started in 1994 and educated people about AIDS through radio, print, and television, using dramas and soap operas to promote its message.
The Beyond Awareness Campaign- ran between 1998 and 2000 and concentrated on informing young people about AIDS through the media.
The Khomanani Campaign- run by the Aids Communication Team (ACT), a group that was set up by the government in 2001. It uses media and celebrity endorsement to spread its message.
loveLife- It was launched in 1999 and is the most prominent campaign in South Africa and it targets young people.

Preventing transmission from mother to child
Not only can a child be effected from losing a parent from HIV or AIDS, it is also a risk of them getting it themselves.
It is estimated that during 2006, around 64,000 babies became infected through mother-to-child transmission in South Africa.
There have been many controversies over this issue, and there has yet to be an effective prevention and treatment while the mother is pregnant that is supplied sufficiently.

Treatment
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) was started in 1998 by Zackie Achmat (He himself was HIV positive).
He argued that the cost of providing treatment and preventive education was ultimately less expensive than the economic impact of an unchecked AIDS epidemic.
One main treatment being used right now is pharmaceutical drugs, and unless they are received free, most can’t afford to pay for them.
At the end of 2007, it was estimated that only 28% percent of South Africans with HIV/AIDS were being treated.

Citations
"HIV&AIDS in South Africa." Avert . 3 Jun 2009
<http://www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm> .
"AIDS Orphans." Avert . 3 Jun 2009
<http:// www.avert.org/aidsorphans.htm >.
"DataBlog." Guardian . 3 Jun 2009
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/mar/09/week>.

AIDS in South Africa

by Kimberly McEachen

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