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  • Title: HIV in Southern Africa.
    Author: Hensle K.
    Journal: Harv AIDS Rev; 1998; ():10-3. PubMed ID: 12294442.
    Abstract:
    This article discusses transmission of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. Five of the six countries with the highest rates of HIV infection in the world during the 1990s are in Southern Africa. Projected life expectancies are dropping due to AIDS. The population at risk is aged 15-40 years. 93-95% of all HIV infections in this age group in sub-Saharan Africa are transmitted heterosexually; by 1996, 50% were women. The second most common mode of transmission is perinatal. In Botswana, HIV infection rates increased from 6% to 30% during 1991-93 among pregnant women at prenatal clinics. 43% were HIV positive in Francistown, Botswana. Populations are vulnerable to HIV infections when risk taking sexual behavior is practiced. Risk taking sexual behavior has increased due to social, cultural, and family uprooting; lower access to health and social services; and gender imbalances among domestic and international migrant populations. Women are at risk due to their inability to ask their partners to practice safer sex. Migrants' travel to job opportunities in urban areas and neighboring countries encourages the practice of several sexual partners. The rapid spread is also attributed to a special viral subtype C that spreads more rapidly through vaginal intercourse. Treatment with AZT during pregnancy reduces transmission to infants by 66%. Breast feeding transmits HIV from mothers to infants. Social instability and civil conflicts contribute to the spread. Expensive, time consuming infrastructure development is necessary to combat AIDS. Misinformation and inaction will only lead to more deaths.
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