Army Takes Over, Access to HIV Treatment Halted by Strikes in South Africa

As South Africa’s health system is crippled by strikes the Government warns health workers of contributing to murder. HIV/AIDS treatment access has also been halted as the health system ceases to function. Strikers are demanding increased pay due to their insubstantial compensation. Should they be paid more?

Army Medical Teams Move into Strike-Bound Hospitals

Health Minister Warns of Murder as Staff Strike at Hospitals

Strike Jeopardizes HIV Treatment

Government Threatens Action Against Health, Security Strikers

National Public Sector Strike Hits HIV Treatment

Nation Becomes a Victim of its ARV Treatment Success

Public Health Strained by Nurses Strike

Botswana: Acquiring a Taste for Recycled Water

The Water Utilities Corporation in Botswana is breaking ground on a facility to treat waste water in order to supply a water source for the country. Many citizens have expressed disgust at the thought of drinking waste water, but the program holds great potential as water scarcity increases across the continent and around the world.

Hillary’s “new approach” to Global Health

David Rieff takes on the US Secretary of State’s approach to global health and development calling it naive, contradictory and muddled.

Donor Fatigue New Threat to HIV/AIDS Fight

Doctors Without Borders has raised the alarm that this is, “No time to quit! The HIV crisis is far from over.” As economic recession hits, many countries around the world  are decreasing their aid funding for HIV/AIDS treatments. The Obama Administration has come under fire for their cuts to HIV/ AIDS and PEPFAR funding.

• Is Obama Failing on AIDS?
• Optimism as U.S.  HIV Program Lifts Funding Caps

Mozambique: Maputo Central Hospital Bans Use of U.S. Dollars

Patients in Mozambique will no longer be forced to use U.S. Dollars to pay for treatments. This is an important move to increase access to health care in the country.

Cholera Outbreak Grips Nigeria

The need for clean water is demonstrated as cholera rapidly spreads across Nigeria and neighboring countries. As a common disease and treatable disease, the recent cholera outbreak calls for greater access to clean water sources for impoverished communities.

Cholera claims 352 lives

Cholera Outbreak Highlights Vulnerability of Children, Mothers

Cholera Outbreak – FG Moves Drugs, Officials to Bauchi, Borno

Cholera, Measles claim more lives

Cholera Outbreak hits 3,000 in Three Nations

Yes folks it’s true. South Africa’s HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 has mandated that life skills classes be implemented in all schools, at all levels; this includes children as young as six. Life skills classes, also referred to as life orientation, are classes that orient kids to the world by teaching skills needed to live a productive life. Life skills curricula include basic things like hygiene, nutrition, and respect. Additionally, they include more sensitive topics such as body development and disease processes.

The area in need of the most emphasis in South African life skills classes is HIV/AIDS. As my last post discussed, HIV/AIDS is an epidemic plaguing Africa greatly and the magnitude of calamity being experienced is causing much global attention. This attention is indeed merited, as the continent is home to a country with the greatest of number of HIV/AIDS positive people in the world-  South Africa (Kates et al. 2006). Despite this astonishing fact, HIV/AIDS prevalence is higher in other countries (Kates et al. 2006).

Unfortunately though HIV/AIDS is included in life skills curricula, time allotted for these classes is spent either on other subjects or life skills is taught ineffectively as is the case in townships, and other places that need it most, due to funding and staffing problems (Tiendrebéogo et al. 2003). Teachers are often uncomfortable with the sensitive nature of HIV/AIDS and are ill-trained to discuss such matters with youngsters (Prinsloo 2007). Thus the goal in South Africa’s National Strategic Plan to reduce new HIV infection in youth ages 15-24 by 20%, being that they represent 50% of new infections, hardly seems on its way to being met. Though South Africa has allotted money for life skills classes, it is having a hard time establishing and monitoring it (Prinsloo 2007).

As those between 15-25 years of age are an important focal group to the South African government, with respect to reducing new infections, so are those between 6-14 years of age. In some cases this includes those as young as 5 years of age. They are referred to as the “window of hope” (Tiendrebéogo et al. 2003). Children younger than 15 are thought to not yet be sexually active and so are more likely to take to learning and internalizing preventative measures against HIV contraction.

With this in mind, should we gasp in shock when we hear that HIV/AIDS Education is being incorporated into the curriculum of children as young as 6? Of course not! They are not being taught the same things the 14 year olds are, such as how to put on a condom. However, they are learning the realities of situations that can put them in danger and how to avoid becoming vulnerable, if possible. HIV/AIDS, depending on race and socioeconomic level, due to South Africa’s Apartheid past, is something a child could deal with on a day to day basis. Why deprive the kids who need it most of a method of protection? Loss of a parent, orphanhood, and sexual exploitation are all undeserved consequences many children have to face (Bhana et al. 2006). You cannot compare South Africa’s HIV/AIDS condition to America’s where there are much fewer infected people and no 6 year old has ever been exposed to a HIV/AIDS infected person.

Furthermore, children are active agents of societal constructions and are not asexual creatures, as much as we adults would like to preserve a veil of innocence (Bhana 2008). They can construct and negotiate matters dealing with sexuality. As such we adults should recognize that they have a right- yes a right- to HIV/AIDS education. To deprive them of that when they are bound to be in situations that make them vulnerable would be irresponsible and silly.

To teachers I say take responsibility. I know in an ideal world the parent would handle such matters, but we’re not not in an ideal world. And if there’s no support, rally for it; petition the school principal and local authorities. Be proactive!

To South Africa’s government I say not only mandate life skills classes and invest in formulating curricula, but monitor them to ensure age and culturally appropriate implementation and evaluate them for efficacy. That way you don’t just set goals, you achieve them!

Works Cited

Bhana, Deevia and Morrell, Robert, and Epstein, Debbie, and Moletsane, Relebohile. “The hidden work of caring: teachers and the maturing AIDS epidemic in diverse secondary schools in Durban.” Journal of Education (2006): 5-23.

Bhana, Deevia. “Sex and the Right to HIV/AIDS Education.” Journal of Psychology in Africa (2008): 439-444.

Kates, Jennifer, Carbaugh, Alicia. The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa . The HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet. Washington D.C.: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation:, 2006.

Prinsloo, Erna. “Implementation of life orientation programmes in the new curriculum in South African schools: perceptions of principals and life orientation teachers.” South African Journal of Education (2007): 155-170.

Tiendrebéogo, Georges, Meijer, Suzanne, Engleberg, Gary. Life Skills and HIV Education Curricula in Africa: Methods and Evaluations. Technical Paper No. 119. Washington D.C.: Office of Sustainable Development Bureau for Africa, 2003.

The views in this article are representative of solely the author’s and may or may not represent those of SCOUT BANANA.

Today, we often hear about the AIDS epidemic and how it’s ravaging Africa the most. Conjoined with news of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is news about all sorts of movements and campaigns to help fight the epidemic- The RED Campaign, research projects, PEPFAR, NGO’s carrying out missions on the ground…the list goes on.

However, typically, most of these efforts are reactive, seeking to deal with the epidemic of HIV/AIDS after seeing its devastating effects take toll in the lives of human beings. After much rallying and advocacy, we end up spending the most time trying to find cures or providing forms of support, such as treatment and childcare for those already ridden with HIV/AIDS.

When we fail to become proactive, the reactive approach bypasses the fact that these supportive infrastructures are finite and can be exhausted with time. Thus, much of the challenge today is replace a dwindling workforce and seemingly more critical, the healthcare workforce.

The healthcare workforce is at a high risk for contracting HIV/AIDS, a risk that becomes even higher with a decreasing workforce. This results in decreasing productivity, and finally decreasing GDP which weakens hospitals’ capabilities to provide optimal care, due to lack of government funding. And so at this point healthcare staff are put at the most danger of contracting the virus, a danger that once succumbed to would force them into the downwardly spiraling loss of workforce.

But there is hope! We can establish proactive measures. This means gearing more of our efforts towards preventative approaches like education on safe sex and gender equality.  Furthermore we can begin to address bigger, more overarching issues of poverty that make African people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Therefore, giving people the tools to become more actively involved in determining their future disease status is where our best bets lie.

It’s been decades since we’ve been trying to find a cure. We’ve made progress, but treatment is not a viable option for those who  need it most. When we are faced with such ill fated fortunes, I say circumvent the problem. I say answer the question of ensuring no one ever gets infected to begin with.

Research shows that preventing HIV/AIDS infection requires that we begin education as early as possible, meaning with the youngest group of people capable of learning- children. This is a controversial issue, but when circumstances demand it (areas in which HIV/AIDS prevalence is as high as 30%, 1 in 3), we must rise to the challenge in an age and culturally appropriate way.

The views in this article are representative of solely the author’s and may or may not represent those of SCOUT BANANA.