The “Don’t Want HIV Generation”

Some thirty million people in Africa are HIV-positive.

“An estimated 5.6 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa in 2009, more than in any other country. It is believed that in 2009, an estimated 310,000 South Africans died of AIDS. Prevalence is 17.8% among those aged 15-49…almost one-in-three women aged 25-29 and over a quarter of men aged 30-34 are living with HIV” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa). 

With the growing concern for the millions of people in Africa affected by HIV, many are taking action, trying not only to combat HIV in Africa, but also to raise global awareness of this deadly disease in the hopes that future generations to come will be HIV-free. Having only 15% of the world’s population living in Africa, the number of HIV-positive people in Africa compared to numbers in other countries is astounding, influencing people to do extensive research on the topic through the funding of many non-profit organizations who are trying to spread the word about this epidemic.


Why does Africa have the highest number of HIV-positive people in the world?
Researchers have found that HIV is caused and spread in Africa at such a high rate due to some of their social, political, medical, and economic factors. 


Many adolescents are HIV-positive, and researchers have set out to find the reason why. “A significant proportion of HIV infections occurred in adolescents who claim to be virgins" (New HIV/AIDS Study Findings Recently Were Reported by E. Deuchert and Co-Researchers). "Two explanations for this observation have been proposed: adolescents misreport sexual status or non-sexual risks are more prevalent than previously asserted” (New HIV/AIDS Study Findings Recently Were Reported by E. Deuchert and Co-Researchers).

HIV affects many adolescents in Africa. “The number of premature deaths due to HIV/AIDS has risen significantly over the last decade from 39 percent to 75 percent in 2010” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa). “It is estimated there are 1.9 million AIDS orphans where one or both parents are deceased in South Africa, and that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is responsible for half of the country’s orphans. Another estimate puts the proportion of maternal orphans – those who have lost their mother – orphaned by AIDS as over 70 percent” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa).

Is knowing that some 30 million people in Africa are HIV-positive important enough to change the world?


Becoming aware of a problem is the first step necessary to make a change. The HIV epidemic of Africa needs to be put to a stop for the sake of the future generations to come. “Marking a welcome change from South Africa's history of HIV, the South African Government launched a major HIV counseling and testing campaign (HCT) in 2010. By raising awareness of HIV, the campaign aims to reduce the HIV incidence rate by 50 percent by June 2011” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa).


Recent studies have been conducted concerning the many causes of HIV, including sexual transmissions and parent-child transmission. New data has been found that is expanding the causes of HIV. It is being said that the data may also have been skewed because some people do not admit to being sexually active or having sex with a condom. The researchers concluded, "This is important to design combination prevention to achieve maximum impact on HIV prevention" (New HIV/AIDS Study Findings Recently Were Reported by E. Deuchert and Co-Researchers).


How are people using this information now to engage in and change the world? In other words, how can we stop the spread of HIV?


After becoming aware of a problem, change can come about through the help of many people’s assets, whether it be hands-on help, or monetary assistance.

Hands-on help can be provided through people going to Africa to offer a lending hand, like giving out condoms and informative pamphlets, or doing research concerning the disease, in hopes that a breakthrough will be made and a cure will come about. “Condom use in South Africa is growing with the percentage of those using a condom during their last sexual encounter increasing from 27 percent in 2002, 35 percent in 2005, to 62 percent in 2008. Younger people show the highest rates of condom use which bodes well for the future of prevention, and could explain the decline in HIV prevalence and incidence among teenagers and younger adults” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa). “In 2007, 256 million condoms were distributed by the government” (HIV and AIDS in South Africa).


Many people are helping with HIV research and development through monetary assistance. With the Internet, it is easy to fund reputable organizations that are helping to promote awareness and health in Africa and around the world. Aidsinafrica.net is accepting donations, and through their site you can see how they are trying to make a difference. Avert.org is also accepting online donations. With their website, you are given comprehensive information that is very helpful in creating awareness and promoting change. Project (RED) has also partnered with businesses like Gap and Apple to spread the word about AIDS in Africa, in hopes that a cure will be found through raising substantial funds for research. 


Despite the other crises that afflict our world today, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa cannot be forgotten. Research needs to be done. Action needs to be taken. The health of future generations is at stake.


I will close today with one of the slogans used by one non-profit organization that is helping to raise money and awareness, promoting a healthier, HIV-free lifestyle: 

“Let us become apart of the don’t want HIV generation. Let’s do something positive.”