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| Mohammed Algozi Al-Qunfedah, Al-Goz, Saudi Arabia |
The spread of the dangerous diseases threatens people’s health and lives in the world. AIDS is one of the most dangerous and deadly disease in current time. Therefore, the World Health Organization called all the health organizations to fight this disease and to maintain the humans’ health. If we highlighted on this disease we find that this disease considered the most deadly and the most prevalent diseases worldwide especially in Africa. Two-thirds of the total number of people infected with AIDS is in Africa. Mr. Chairman and Members (2000), claim that people who have AIDS in the world are about 34 million.
Africa has the largest share of the disease by two-thirds of the total number and 1 million of them are children. A question which has been asked frequently is why the AIDS considers more prevalent disease in Africa without other countries. The answer of this question depends on several aspects, which are poverty, low level of education and health these are the main reasons that lead to its spread. Also, some of the causes of AIDS and its social consequences will be mentioned and discussed later in this article.
AIDS usually spreads between people through three different ways; one of them is the sexual contact if this contact is unsafe. People there (in Africa) seem don’t have the necessary knowledge about how they can perform a safe sexual connection. That makes people to perform sexual contact without using a condom which considers unsafe connection which increases the risk of getting AIDS. One of the most reasons of that is the lack of education especially the knowledge about how AIDS spread in Africa.
This poor education is because of the poverty that African suffered from. Also, the spread of poverty there does not help the society to overcome the AIDS because they don’t have enough number from schools and teachers or even of the guides and mentors because they can’t give them money on their working to educate and guide people there.
Another cause is that contaminated blood spreads frequently in Africa because of the lack of health requirements. The lack of financial resources (the poverty) and the lack of care health don’t help government to provide or find or build hospitals, health center and even any safe place to preserve the blood in safe way. Consequently this issue leads to use the non-sterile tools between the patients who have the virus and who haven’t such as needles.
According to AVERT, each day in Africa there are 250 to 500 people newly infected with HIV because of the unsafe blood transfusions such as the reuse of needles and syringes. Also, people use unhealthy and unsafe habits as the personal things and sharp tools such as nail’s scissors between the one who has the virus and the others which contributed in the spread of AIDS because they don’t have surveillance to prevent the use the materials again. Consequently, AIDS prevail more between people in Africa. Because of this, The World Health Organization recommends agencies responsible to take preventive measures to limit the spread of AIDS between people Africans.
The last causes which spread AIDS are jumping from the mother to her fetus this lead to psychological issues which influence the fetus later. When a person has this disease, he/she would feel afraid and lack confident, which can influence their lives. The feeling of rejection from the friends and the relatives because of having this disease will lead to hating the society. As a result, by the time the child grow up he/she may has a kind of psychological problems, so he/she may hate people and tries to revenge from every member in the society: thus, he/she may tries to transfer the disease to a larger segment of people as they could and this is a possible reaction from the patient as a result of the immoral dealing from people toward the infected person.
On the other hand, the HIV infected may withdraw themselves from people and live alone. Therefore, this feeling probably will make the HIV infected think about suicide. Lastly, this does not absolve the mother from the responsibility of causing this disease to her child even if she doesn't know about her infection by this disease.
There are some society’s consequences which have major effect on people who have this disease. One of them is the stigma. For example, people who have AIDS always feel reprimand’ look from another people because people believe that injured gained AIDS through positions not good such as drugs, homosexuality and unsafe relationships.
Also, HIV infected may lose their jobs and their rights to medical care and treatment due to the illness and the fear of dealing with a person who has AIDS. Most people have fear of contagion which causes case of social disharmony between people. Another problem is the social isolation and ostracism, rejection, and discrimination against the infected person.
As result, they may lose their friends, families, and possibly their lives partners, which lead to the lack of the sources of social support that is needed after their injury more than ever. Therefore, people who have AIDS are often afraid to tell the other and losing them and get the medical care or they tell no one and live without any medical care. According to BMC Public Health (2014), a research mentions that a lot of people who live in Africa that have AIDS suffer from stigma.
The study indicates that people who have HIV annoyed from some of the bad dealing from their colleagues and their managers at work because they have AIDS. The study also claims that women suffer from stigma more than men.
I think that the best way for the international community to overcome this disease is to collaborate more with humanitarian organizations. Through community awareness and educate, especially people who are living with Aids. Therefore, the society must direct the person who doesn’t realize the dangers of this disease to the right path and work on changing their behaviors. For example, I believe that there should be a monthly meeting with the high school students in Africa that is presented by doctors and psychologists to increase the awareness of the disease and the precautions that should be taken either in the sexual relations or in their daily contact with the infected people.
Undoubtedly, people who have AIDS need to be dealt in special way because they live in a bad psychological state; thus, we must accept them and make them feel welcome and at the same time taking precaution. Also, all the international community must support these people and they have to build hospitals, health center and give them health needs, which will help them to overcome this disease. Money is not enough, but nurses and doctors should be offered to treat these patients and supervised them which are some of human rights.
In conclusion, the appearance of AIDS in Africa is not a new issue but the effects of this disease on the world called us to highlight on it. There are some reasons which lead to spread of this fatal disease in Africa which are the poverty and the lack of education and healthcare system. Thus, the WHO recommends the attention for virus HIV which threatens the lives of many people around the world and especially in Africa. I hope that scientists and doctors will find a drug for this disease in the near future, because it is destroying the lives of millions.
References
1) dos Santos, M. L., Kruger, P., Mellors, S. E., Wolvaardt, G., & van der Ryst, E. (2014). An exploratory survey measuring stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa: the people living with HIV stigma index. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 1-24. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-80
2) Nelson, B. F. (2000). Global Health: The U.S. and U.N. Response to the AIDS Crisis in Africa: T-NSIAD-00-99. GAO Reports, 1 UNICEF ' Immunization: Injection safety'
3) WHO (2006, 27th June) 'Making Safe Blood Available in Africa' 3.
http://www.avert.org/hiv-blood-safety.htm
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