The AIDS outbreak has devastated South Africa

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The AIDS outbreak has devastated South Africa. The planet has seen death tolls due to the AIDS virus in general, but the citizens of South Africa have been extremely hard hit. Why has South Africa been so badly hit compared to the rest of the world by this plague? More precisely, why has the South African government been so inefficient in seeking to stop the transmission of the virus among its people? What places would the South African government need to work on to improve the current condition of its people when it relates to the AIDS virus? Finally, how has the outbreak of the AIDS virus affected South Africa's economic future? This essay would examine this extremely dangerous outbreak, particularly in South Africa, as well as the consequences for the people of South Africa.

HIV is known as the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) (human immunodeficiency virus). The signs of HIV that are mostly undetected by carriers may not become evident until the virus has been dormant inside the carrier for up to 10 years. Carriers cannot get screened for the virus because of this time of dormancy. Afterward, carriers can unknowingly transfer the virus to others. There are many ways of contracting HIV. HIV is most frequently spread by heterosexual intercourse, according to Susan Hunter (p 68). Intravenous drug use, blood transfusions, bisexual or homosexual intercourse, and during childbirth also cause HIV to spread. The spread of the virus tends to be closely linked to factors linked to insecurity and labor migration. Compared to more stable or safe populations, these aspects tend to affect the compromised group against behaviors and environments that place them at a high risk of developing the disease, although these issues may have no direct sexual bias.

There are seven countries, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa that represent the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic on a global scale. Individually, each of these countries has struggled with the rapid spread of the virus. There has been much anthropological debate as to the reasons South Africa, in particular, has been so greatly affected. While there has been no definitive answer, inferences can be made according to an analysis of economic issues and the African culture that would assist in concluding the prevalence of the spread of the virus. Initial assumptions pointed to the assumed sexual promiscuity of the South African people. According to Nana Poku, the perceptions of sex and love, as they pertain to disease, differ in South Africa relative to the world (p 194). This perception, however, is disproved due to the stereotypical views developed and perpetuate by colonialists seeking social control over the population during their conquests of the region. This theory is utterly lacking in evidence and, in fact, Poku later observed that in many African cultures, sexual modesty was highly revered (p 194). Sexual intimacy is seen by the vast majority of women in South Africa as a practice reserved for procreation rather than enjoyment. Sexual partnerships are meant in these societies to be the basis for the romantic relationships that will follow thereafter. This is in stark contrast to Western societies in which sexual intercourse is more intimate in nature and may have no clear association between partners with marital connections or even sexual exclusivity. There is no definitive proof supporting the hypothesis that sexual promiscuity is the driving force behind the transmission of the AIDS virus in South Africa since it has not been seen that the South African population is more sexually active than in other areas of the world (Poku). This will mean that it is not the South African people's sexual behavior, but rather the people's society that is responsible for the transmission of the virus.

Several cultural tendencies have been attributed to the spread of the AIDS virus in South Africa. The patriarchal base on which South Africa was founded, along with the lack of progression on that base, has left the women of the region with little societal leverage our influence in promoting the change necessary to improve upon their condition as it relates to protecting themselves from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The cultural make-up of this region promotes male dominance in such a manner that women are generally subservient to males both economically and in a sexual context. The women of this region have developed a tolerance for issues that would normally result in marriage dissolution in Western cultures (Barnett and Blaikie, p 162). Due to their economic dependence, these women have acclimated to the acceptance of sexual infidelity by males in supposedly sexually exclusive relationships. In these cultures, it is the sole decision of the male in the relationship to wear a condom and the woman may be subject to both physical and emotional abuse if she refuses sex without condom usage. The combination of a low social status among the women of the region, along with cultural stigmas regarding certain forms of protection, leaves the women with little control over their exposure to the AIDS virus.

The resistance to change high-risk behaviors that affect the spread of the AIDS virus is culturally influenced. In this region, condom usage is viewed as a reduction of intimacy between partners and even as belittling the power of male-produced sperm by obstructing entry into the vagina. According to Barnett and Blaikie, due to gender relations, religious beliefs, and social politics, women have great difficulty persuading sexual partners to use condoms (p 160). These factors have largely negated the efforts to promote condom usage as well as the import of millions of condoms into the region because the peoples refused condom usage. The fact that cultural influences outweigh availability makes the process of getting people to use condoms especially difficult.

Promoting condom usage in predominantly Catholic nations, such as Uganda, is especially difficult because of the religion's opposition to this form of protection. However, it is the racial tension within the country (resulting from the colonization by the Dutch Afrikaners and the native South Africans) that has proven difficult to overcome. These racial tensions manifested during the extreme racial segregation of the region and they still exist today. The ramifications of this mistrust are evidenced by the lack of acceptance throughout the population of government-funded initiatives promoted by the white-majority government in place. According to Barnett and Blaikie, there is a substantial presence within the population that believes that the promotion of condom usage is part of a conspiracy to reduce the rate of Black population growth in the region (p 196).

Aside from societal acceptance and cultural attitude, poverty has proven to be one of the main contributors to the spread of the AIDS virus. Restricted water usage or the proximity of water wells prohibits the washing of the body and hands after sexual intercourse, which may affect the effectiveness of condom usage in impoverished areas. Furthermore, extremely densely populated regions may lack adequate methods for condom disposal after use. In addition to the uncomfortable living conditions of the impoverished exists the choices of employment for the occupants of these regions. High-risk groups accounting for the spread of the virus include street youth, prostitutes, military groups, and truck drivers. Impoverished females may turn to prostitution as a means of employment but still fall victim to the societal male-dominated stigmas surrounding condom usage. Combined with the aforementioned lack of condom usage, the multiple sex partners that prostitutes encounter categorizes prostitutes as a high-risk group. Truck drives (another high-risk group in the region) contribute to the spread of the disease because they are frequent customers of these prostitutes. Via the unprotected anal or vaginal sex that is widely used as a method of initiation or as a way of maintaining hierarchy within the community, street youth gain exposure to the virus. Owing to either voluntary or forced union practices involving unsafe sex, the possibility of AIDS infection in African armies is between 20 and 60% (Hunter). Along with the aforementioned high-risk actions, the high mobility of truck drivers and military groups also accounts for the dissemination of the disease.

The HIV infection rate among women in the area, including pregnant women, is still increasing. This adds to another generation of infectious children bound for orphanages or being among the high-risk classes listed above. The solution must lie in the willingness of the government to inform its citizens more about the epidemic, how it is transmitted, how it is avoided, and the need for research to identify carriers. South Africa is threatened, like other parts of the world, to obtain funds for the services, studies, and medical innovations needed to properly treat carriers and educate their people. Also, the government must aim to break down the societal limitations that dissuade the use of condoms and eventually encourage the virus to spread.

A greater focus on sex education is the best method of slowing down the spread of the AIDS virus. Programs must be funded and implemented that target high-risk groups and the people within these groups must be better informed in regards to how their lifestyles correlate with the spread of the AIDS virus. Education would also serve to ease the concerns of the segment of the population that believes a conspiracy is in place to reduce the size of the Black population in South Africa. More anthropological research must be done to better identify the cultural ties to practices that lend to the spread of the disease and those involved with these practices must be reached and not ignored. As with the U.S. and other countries, the plight of the impoverished often goes unnoticed until it extends into the more affluent. South Africa has already reached that point and something must change for the better. The South African government must be realistic in its approach to educating the population on this epidemic. Sexual education must be catered towards disproving notions of conspiracy, male dominance, drug usage, and even religious beliefs. As in the U.S., sexual education in South Africa must extend beyond the ideas of promoting abstinence or avoiding pre-marital sex. Western European influence in the region has already eroded such beliefs throughout substantial parts of the region. Sex education in South Africa must revolve around protection and prevention to slow the spread of the disease. As in the U.S., it would be unrealistic to operate under the assumption that the population can be scared into the practices that would reduce risk. Fear is not the answer. The answer lies largely in the government's ability to properly educate the people of South Africa. The assumption should not be that the plight of the people of South Africa is already insurmountable, but rather that they would make better decisions if they knew how to protect themselves and, more importantly, that it was socially acceptable to do so. Furthermore, conditions such as water availability and population crowding must be alleviated to promote better hygiene in impoverished regions. Such propositions are more easily said than done, but it is the responsibility that the South African government and its obligation to its people to procure the resources and funding for the programs and initiatives to address this epidemic.

The spread of the AIDS virus throughout South Africa and its ramifications extend beyond the obvious cultural impact and into the economic well-being of the country. The increasing death rate and predicted drop in life expectancy will inevitably affect the financial well-being of firms in the region due to the inevitable costs associated with workers' illnesses and deaths. Furthermore, the increased costs of healthcare, employee absenteeism due to illness, and high attrition rates due to the eventual replacements needed for infected workers are all precursors to a failing economy. The agricultural segment of the economy will suffer as well as the illness spreads throughout the agricultural regions and farmers eventually succumb to the illness. This will be an especially hard blow to regions already suffering due to the scarcity of water due to drought.

This paper has discussed the AIDS epidemic in South Africa and its ramifications for the people of that region. The people of South Africa have been pummeled by the AIDS epidemic. This is a country that is rich in culture, resources, and tradition. The proliferation of the AIDS virus is rooted in the cultural dynamic, socio-economic condition, and religious imprint of the people and their government. This is not to say that this is a problem that South Africa faces and South Africa alone must fix, but rather, that the solution to this problem must start in South Africa. Education is the key to this problem. Beliefs must be changed and cultural dynamics must shift towards responsibility, accountability, prevention, and treatment. Government officials must take ownership of the responsibility to make these changes and put in place initiatives to do so. Funding must be acquired. This is no easy undertaking but governments are in place to do such things. Beyond financial prosperity, the health, welfare, and well-being of each citizen are among the established priorities of any government entity. The AIDS epidemic in South Africa may require more of an anthropological approach to find a resolution, as opposed to a political approach.