One huge issue that Mali faces is the widespread of HIV/AIDS. “HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which is the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV gradually destroys the body’s ability to fight infections and certain cancers. People diagnosed with AIDS may get what are called opportunistic infections — life-threatening diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that healthy people are usually able to fight off”(HIV/AIDS during pregnancy | BabyCenter. (2015). Compared to the U.S. HIV/AIDS is much more prevalent in Mali, and it not only affects adults but children as well.
According to the Africa Health Observatory(AHO) and the World Health Organization, “based on a single point estimate, there are nearly 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Mali. The adult prevalence rate is estimated at 2.4% and the incidence rate is 0.29%. The prevalence and incidence rates significantly vary between geographical areas and gender. The urban prevalence rate is estimated at 7.7%, while the rural prevalence rate is 0.9%. The prevalence rate is 1.7% for males and 2.6% for females. With 90,000 HIV-positive pregnant women, there are an estimated 14,000 HIV-positive births and a total of 28,000 AIDS death and an estimated 800,000 AIDS orphans annually”(Mali:Analytical summary – HIV/AIDS – AHO. 2014). Global estimates also indicate that out of all the children who have lost at least one parent to HIV, 85% of them live in Sub Saharan Africa (Pegurri E, Konings E, Crandall B, Haile-Selassie H, Matinhure N, Naamara W, et al. 2015). This is no easy thing to stomach, when hearing this it truly makes me sad to think that many lives are changed by this disease; however I know there is not enough medical attention to help everyone. Pregnant mothers and often newborns are treated with a standard antiretroviral therapy. The therapy is used to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease. It consists of 3 antiretroviral (ARV) drugs (Treatment and care. 2015). In fact, “huge reductions have been seen in rates of death and suffering when use is made of a potent ARV regimen, particularly in the early stages of the disease” (Treatment and care. 2015). Even with the increase of ARV treatment according to the British Medical Journal, “data suggested a rise in prevalence of HIV in rural areas (2003: 2.6%) and in all Mali (2003: 4.4%)”(Hladik, W., & Shabbir, I., et al., 2015). This tells me that Mali does not have the best healthcare system for dealing with mass illness. However “improved coverage and effectiveness of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs has reduced new HIV infections among children under 15 years old by 40% globally between 2009 and 2013″(Pegurri E, Konings E, Crandall B, Haile-Selassie H, Matinhure N, Naamara W, et al. 2015). In the U.S. there are multiple healthcare centers where people can go and get treated. This is something that needs to be provided for the entire world. It is also very important to address from a cultural standpoint and a public health standpoint. HIV/AIDS has always been a disease that the world has feared since its emergence in the 1980s. Culturally it needs to be discussed, because it can easily passed through unprotected sexual intercourse. People tend to be more close to their own culture and are more likely to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. As for a public health standpoint, HIV/AIDS affects millions of families and has claimed many lives. The only way to lower the number of incandescents is to offer education and to provide help to those affected.
Work cited
-Mali:Analytical summary – HIV/AIDS – AHO. (2014). Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://www.aho.afro.who.int/profiles_information/index.php/Mali:Analytical_summary_-_HIV/AIDS
-Treatment and care. (2015). Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/treatment/en/
-HIV/AIDS during pregnancy | BabyCenter. (2015). Retrieved July 30, 2015, from http://www.babycenter.com/0_hiv-aids-during-pregnancy_1427384.bc
-Hladik, W., & Shabbir, I., et al., (2015). HIV/AIDS in Mali: Where is the epidemic heading? British Medical Journal, 82(1). doi:10.1136/sti.2005.016592
-Pegurri E, Konings E, Crandall B, Haile-Selassie H, Matinhure N, Naamara W, et al. (2015) The Missed HIV-Positive Children of Mali. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0124041. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124041