The Enormous Impact of AIDS on Sub Saharan Africa

AIDS causes the body to become like a wide open bank; who wouldn't want to come in and get a fortune? AIDS was first detected in 1981 among homosexual males and drug users who use syringes in New York and California. Shortly after this, it spread to sub Saharan Africa where it has become an epidemic. By the latest estimates, the prevalence of the scourge is approximately 6% of the Kenyan population.

Virtually every family and every individual has felt the impact of this disease. I remember the first time I was introduced to a sufferer. She looked very normal, her skin was perfect, weight was average and her confidence was unparalleled. This was at a workshop held at my school, our parents were in attendance and the turnout was very good. She even joked that she could have any man that she wanted; the crowd's response confirmed this. Before her introduction, I would have never known that she was a sufferer. This showed me that anyone can have AIDS regardless of age, gender, religion, region and race; it cuts across all boundaries.

The most felt impact is the loss of life. This leads to a generational gap where only the children and the elderly exist. Loss of parents leaves the children wit no means of earning a living, they become orphans. The orphans will in most cases drop out of school and children orphanages are already stretched to their seams. The ones who cannot be accommodated end up on the streets and engage in crime, prostitution and drug use, in most cases, they end up being infected with the virus and this becomes an inevitable circle of life. If the orphans are taken up by their grandparents as it is in most cases, they become a financial burden to them because they themselves are living on their pensions if any or are engaging in subsistent farming. The grandparents are not to blame because they did their part in the upbringing of their children. Death also reduces the labor force which is at its prime. For instance, if a doctor dies, his expertise and experience is not easy to replace. This has a negative effect on the economy.

AIDS leads to stigma due to discrimination in the work place and social grouping. This is mainly as a result of poor knowledge. If a woman is raped, she will have thoughts of the possibility of being infected and if she has a child, the stigma will increase. This has in some cases lead to excommunication of that person. An AIDS sufferer can live for more than ten years if he or she is given proper care.

The sufferer may also endure emotionally and psychologically suffering. The fear of death and illness may demoralize the person. The loved ones who will have to see a dear beloved dieing is too great to be measured by any means. This may lead to suicide. Before and after one is tested for HIV and AIDS, there is a period of counseling to ensure that the patient lives a positive and productive life if his diagnosis is positive or how to remain protected from the virus it he had a negative diagnosis.

AIDS causes congestion of hospitals and in the recent past, hospitals have had to build new wards to cater for the increase in AIDS sufferers. This is further fueled by the fact that AIDS patients have no strength and need help even to walk during the late stages of the disease.

Believe it or not, AIDS has advantages, before you crucify me, let me give you an example; AIDS decreases promiscuity. I have heard people saying that if it weren't for AIDS, they would be having sex more often and with more people without the protection of a condom. This would be morally degradation and would expose the population to other venereal diseases.

The impact of AIDS is devastating to say the least but this need not be the case if testing is done early. There are many VCT (Vocational Counseling and Testing) sites mostly found in hospitals, institutions of higher learning and densely populated areas. Help reaches even the most remote areas and information on this scourge reaches everyone including vulnerable teenagers.