Aids: The Modern Black Plague
Aids: The Modern Black Plague
AIDS: The Modern Black Plague
The AIDS epidemic has reached a crisis level in Africa and needs to be addressed by the United States. Efforts to teach the population AIDS prevention, reduce the price of certain medications, and influence the local leaders to teach their citizens about AIDS should be considered by the United States. Along with those efforts, the United States needs to help with the aftermath of the epidemic. In order to fully understand what the United States needs to do to help, we must first realize why the AIDS epidemic has risen to a crisis level in Africa.
When the HIV virus matures it turns into what is known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). It is a life threatening disease that when contracted is eventually fatal. There are treatments and medications that can help slow the painful symptoms of the disease, but so far research has not found a cure. Since the early 80’s AIDS has become quite a scary issue because of its life-threatening nature. Unlike the common cold or other viruses transmitted through the air, AIDS is only transmitted by sexual contact or by the sharing of needles. AIDS, though a worldwide problem has now climbed to an epidemic level in Africa. CW Henderson, writing for AIDS Weekly, reports that, “70% of the world’s AIDS cases are located in sub-Saharan Africa”(20). Anderson goes on to report that, “The disease kills 6,000 people a day in Africa, has orphaned about 15% of children in the worst-hit cities, and by some estimates will lower life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa from 59 in the early 1990’s to 45 by 2015”(20). Michael Lemonick, writing in Time magazine, reports that, “In South Africa, 1 in 5 adults is infected” (38). Just like the black plague of Europe in the Middle Ages, AIDS has become a modern plague and Africa has been hit the hardest.
Why has Africa born the brunt of this infectious storm? There are many reasons for this. The most obvious is that AIDS originated in Africa. The...