In the following essay I will compare and contrast two of the low-income sub-Saharan African cases that have been most impacted by the AIDS epidemic, Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire, in illustrating how socio-economical, political, and cultural challenges affect the countries’ capability of controlling the spread of HIV/AIDs. It is important to examine the spread of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, as it is the region most affected, accounting for 69% of all people living with HIV in Africa (UNAIDS, 2012). As of 2011 there were 23.5 million people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to 300,000 in the Middle East and North Africa combined (UNAIDS, 2012). The HIV death toll in Sub-Saharan Africa has caused serious economic contractions, threatened
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The Government of Uganda has acknowledged the presence of HIV/AIDS since the first cases were diagnosed in the mid-1980s (Isaksen et al., 2002). Uganda entered into the HIV/Aids crisis early peaking in 1992 with an HIV rate between 30 – 37 percent, as a result of intense intervention, the rate declined to plateau at 13 % by 1999 (Isaksen et al., 2002). In 1999 the population was 21.1 million with an estimated 820,000 people living with HIV (8.3% of the population), of that population 420,000 were women (Isaksen et al., 2002). Côte d’Ivoire, on the other hand, has the highest prevalence rate in western Sub-Saharan Africa at 5.2% since the first case was discovered in 1985 (UNICEF, 2008). The prevalence rate appears to have remained relatively stable for the past decade however; Côte d’Ivoire is unique due to the increasing feminization of the infection with two women infected for every one man …show more content…
Uganda is an example of the importance of political leadership and commitment in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The leadership provided by President Yoweri Museveni led to openness about the epidemic and to an effective programmatic response. As a result of President Yoweri Museveni’s efforts Ugandans experienced a steady decline in adult HIV prevalence throughout the 1990s with a drop from 14 percent to 5.0 percent today (HIV/AIDS, 2001). Contrary to Uganda, in Côte d’Ivoire political leaders were silenced by religious taboos that inhibited open discussion about an epidemic that spreads mainly through sexual contact (Sachs, 2001). This combined with the lack of political stability, civil conflicts, and economic crisis that damaged access to health services lead to the government’s failure in generating an effective public sector response to HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS,
The Government of Uganda has acknowledged the presence of HIV/AIDS since the first cases were diagnosed in the mid-1980s (Isaksen et al., 2002). Uganda entered into the HIV/Aids crisis early peaking in 1992 with an HIV rate between 30 – 37 percent, as a result of intense intervention, the rate declined to plateau at 13 % by 1999 (Isaksen et al., 2002). In 1999 the population was 21.1 million with an estimated 820,000 people living with HIV (8.3% of the population), of that population 420,000 were women (Isaksen et al., 2002). Côte d’Ivoire, on the other hand, has the highest prevalence rate in western Sub-Saharan Africa at 5.2% since the first case was discovered in 1985 (UNICEF, 2008). The prevalence rate appears to have remained relatively stable for the past decade however; Côte d’Ivoire is unique due to the increasing feminization of the infection with two women infected for every one man …show more content…
Uganda is an example of the importance of political leadership and commitment in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The leadership provided by President Yoweri Museveni led to openness about the epidemic and to an effective programmatic response. As a result of President Yoweri Museveni’s efforts Ugandans experienced a steady decline in adult HIV prevalence throughout the 1990s with a drop from 14 percent to 5.0 percent today (HIV/AIDS, 2001). Contrary to Uganda, in Côte d’Ivoire political leaders were silenced by religious taboos that inhibited open discussion about an epidemic that spreads mainly through sexual contact (Sachs, 2001). This combined with the lack of political stability, civil conflicts, and economic crisis that damaged access to health services lead to the government’s failure in generating an effective public sector response to HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS,