Why has South Africa been SO badly affected by HIV?

Submitted by Lynda Piper-Roche on 13 October 2009 - 12:59pm

Global HIV experts believe that a combination of: 1. POLITICAL UNREST 2. POOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT  3. POLITICAL DENIAL has fueled the HIV & AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

The HIV & AIDS epidemic emerged in South Africa in the early 1980s. The country was in the midst of apartheid and so HIV was placed on the back burner.  While this political unrest was taking place, HIV rates began to rise and by the the mid-1990s, HIV rates had increased by 60 percent, and the government was still slow in its response.

In 2000, the South African Department of Health outlined a five-year HIV & AIDS plan, but got little support from the then President Thabo Mbeki. After consulting a group of HIV denialists headed by Dr. Peter Duesberg, Mbeki rejected conventional HIV science and instead blamed the growing AIDS epidemic on poverty. Without government support, the five-year plan did not get off the ground. Dr. Tshabalala-Msimang served as Minister of Health from 1999 to 2008 under Mbeki. She recommended treating the AIDS epidemic with garlic and beetroot, rather than with ARVs. This led to her being nicknamed Dr. Beetroot!

In the meantime, HIV among pregnant South African women soared from eight-tenths of one percent in 1990 to 30 percent 10 years later and now there are 600, 000 AIDS orphans in the country :(

There are a plethora of organisations in South Africa dedicated to educating people about HIV in an attempt to prevent the further spread of the virus and they range from organisations established to promote; safe sex, abstinence, monogamy and testing etc.

However, CHOICES condoms are available for FREE in South Africa, but they have a reputation of splitting, so for the people that do decide to use protection it fails for them...

There is a lot of work to be done...

In 2006, Jacob Zuma told the Johannesburg High Court that he took a shower - after having sex with a HIV positive woman without a condom - as he believed this minimised his risk of contracting the disease. In 2009 he became President of South Africa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Uh oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watch this space...