HIV and AIDS Prevention in Africa: Alternative Engagement

“It is very clear that if we don’t put a lot of effort in prevention, we might not be able to win our battle. It speaks to the need for every individual to know their status,” said Zwo Nevhutalo, the chief operating officer for the South African National AIDS Council.

 In an article I read earlier this week that talked about HIV/AIDS in Africa, I questioned what obstacles restrain nations from fully collectivizing their efforts in preventing such a disease. However, answer is not as simple as it sounds. Countries have to face numerous obstacles in addressing public health concerns, and as a result, external independent organizations such as the World Health Organization help pitch in. As the problem of HIV/AIDS prevention unfolds in the next couple of years, countries will have to adapt methods in which they can engage the general public. AIDS and HIV account for one third of the world’s deaths per year, and of the people who contract the disease in Africa most don’t have access to proper health care (WHO). In Africa though, the problem is a growing cancer- numerous countries now have to look for help to save their people from dying.

                The establishment of the World Health Organization’s presence in Africa is a necessary action for the prevention of HIV and AIDS. Like the earlier quote poked at, without persistent cooperation and effort between countries and outside organizations, the battle with HIV and AIDS prevention could be lost. There the issues that are localized to specific countries, such as geographical obstacles, can be addressed through councils that are representative of the areas they cover. For example, the South African National AIDS Council oversees the progress that the country makes in preventing HIV and AIDS, receives and works very closely with the WHO. Local representatives help establish vehicles of engagement in many areas that have high percentages of people with HIV and AIDS but are not conveniently close to accessible healthcare providers. So, through organized councils that conjunctly receive data and statistics from the WHO, they can properly address the HIV and AIDS problem. The article that I read later went on to outline the goals that South Africa specifically has addressed. With a goal of testing 15 million people within two years, the council actually exceeded the goal and tested over 20 million people (Bodibe). South Africa however, is an outlier of the HIV and AIDS problem in Africa. Many countries are failing to invest time and money into programs and councils that can cooperate with the WHO to achieve astonishing goals. The barriers faced then become multifaceted in that countries without financial stability and infrastructure, little work can be done to stop the spread of AIDS and HIV. Because HIV and AIDS aren’t actually curable, the only way to stop the disease from growing in number is to advocate prevention and notify people if they are carriers. Some of the barriers that the WHO faces surprisingly aren’t profit based or medical in nature. The biggest barrier that the WHO faces is finding a way to address preventative medicine in the fragile health systems of Africa (Africa's Health Problems Are Getting Worse Says the WHO). Many countries still are trying to achieve accessible water for their people, nonetheless trying to prevent HIV and AIDS. So, at the root of this problem, governments aren’t fully engaged with investing funds and effort for public health concerns.

         The unique characteristic in this situation can best be viewed through a liberalist perspective. The creation of the WHO and allocation of its resources provide realistic and real results as seen with South Africa. But in reality, the organization is limited in its role and effectiveness because of the governments that are trying to house it. The concern and need for the establishment of an outside organization that can provide funds and strategies for preventing global diseases becomes a tool for the governments to use, however it is a tool that for many countries can only be used so well.

                       The necessity of countries to utilize and focus their efforts with the WHO is the only reasonable way that the HIV problem can be addressed. South Africa seems to be burning new ground in the field of HIV and AIDS prevention, calling for other African nations to start investing in public health research and find ways to put such research to use (Dickson). With persuasion from the leading country of HIV and AIDS prevention in Africa, maybe other African nations will start focusing their efforts. It is critical that through creation of an organization that can distribute medical care and service to people- HIV and AIDS could no longer be a plaguing problem in Africa. Transnational actors like the WHO play an important role in maintaining the status quo; if the WHO didn’t analyze the extent of the problem and publish it to the countries in Africa, there would be no starting ground for addressing such a large problem. Countries would then question how large HIV and AIDS are in respect to their country. Because the WHO explicitly gives nations base level statistics, it provides an effective tool of measurement. This measurement also provides a way for countries to gauge how good (or not so good) they are preventing HIV and AIDS.

                   General concern about HIV and AIDS in the West is much more ephemeral than it is in Africa. Millions of people are dying each year due to this horrible disease, yet the governments are slow to move. Governments have little resources to work with when addressing the way that HIV and AIDS prevention takes place-however it is third party transnational actors such as the WHO that play an enormous role in shaping future preventative measures. In the realization that many of these countries have a large population that does in fact have AIDS and HIV, there is hope. Despite the consequences of the disease, there are promising signs that countries are now focusing global efforts in preventative medicine. Hopefully through a combined effort with organizations and governments, the HIV and AIDS problem can slowly lose its foothold in the lives of many African nations.

Works Cited:

"Africa's Health Problems Are Getting Worse Says the WHO." Africa's Health Problems Are Getting Worse Says the WHO. NewsMedical, 20 Nov. 2006. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

Dickson, David. "African Scientists Urged to Solve African Health Problems." SciDevNet Global. N.p., 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

Bodibe, Khopotso. "AllAfrica." AllAfrica.com: South Africa: Counting Progress On Aids Response (Page 1 of 2). N.p., 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

"About WHO." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.

"Global Statistics." Global Statistics. Aids.gov, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2012.