ustralian AIDS Association *
A project by Ivanhoe Grammar School students Patrick Moio, Imogen Money, Thomas Gazis, Elizabeth Simcevski and Angeline Koutsoukos
*this is not a real organisation
Social Impacts of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic
The toll of HIV and AIDS on societies and households can be very severe. Although no part of the population is unaffected by HIV, it is often the poorest sectors of society that are most vulnerable to the epidemic and for whom the consequences are most severe. In many cases, the presence of AIDS causes the household to dissolve, as parents die and the orphaned children are sent to relatives for care and upbringing.
A study in rural South Africa suggested that households in which an adult had died from AIDS were four times more likely to dissolve than those in which no deaths had occurred. AIDS strips families of their assets and income earners, further impoverishing the poor.
A study by Muris & Ollendick has shown that in Belgium, children fear AIDS (the only disease on the list) more than nuclear war, dying or being murdered, raped or kidnapped. Through its impacts on the labour force, households and enterprises, AIDS has played a significant role in the reversal of human development in Africa. One aspect of this development reversal has been the damage that the epidemic has done to the economy, which, in turn, has made it more difficult for countries to respond to the crisis.
Although there is knowledge on prevention of HIV and treatments for HIV and AIDS, too few people have access to the necessary services. Most rich countries and ten low- and middle-income countries, for example Botswana, Cambodia, Cuba and Rwanda, have achieved universal treatment access. Although access to treatment remains a challenge in other countries, improvements are being seen.
For the first time, in 2011, more than half of people in need of antiretroviral drugs were receiving them, with coverage reaching 54 percent; yet only 28 percent of children have access to HIV treatment. Whilst access to prevention tools such as HIV education, condoms, clean needles and programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission is improving in some countries, access remains inadequate for many people.
Over the past two decades, HIV has emerged from an unknown virus, to a pandemic of astronomical proportions. Millions of people worldwide have already succumbed to this virus and millions more lives have been disrupted because of the pain and suffering of loved ones.
Today there are approximately 40.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS and the number looks set to only rise. Entire societies will be feeling the effects of the pandemic for decades to come, most notably in Sub-Saharan Africa where the epidemic is most advanced. The virus itself is relatively difficult to contract when compared to others such as Influenza, but a myriad mix of social issues has allowed the virus to gain a major foothold in every nation around the world.
The immense nature of this epidemic has led to mass fear and hysteria and many misconceptions of the virus. This has led to stigma and discrimination of those infected around the world as people seek to explain what they do not understand. Unfortunately, this only hinders the fight against the global pandemic and actually makes populations more vulnerable to infection. In order to effectively combat HIV/AIDS around the world, stigma and discrimination must be adequately addressed.