Counting the cost: Is HIV/AIDS still in existence in Africa?

Africa countries have come a long way to reduce HIV/AIDS related rates of infection, morbidity, and mortality. Some responses to the epidemic accelerated improvement, whereas others fuelled the crisis on the continent.

Map of HIV prevalence in Africa for adults aged 15–49 years in 2017

In 2019 fewer people in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa are dying of AIDS as treatment becomes more widely available, yet some officials worry that success may be encouraging a sense of complacency, expert acknowledge.

HIV/AIDS is a world-wide epidemic that requires an immense amount of education and medical treatment. HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system, which then leads the patient to become more susceptible to other illnesses.

HIV/AIDS Facts in Africa

East and Southern Africa is the region most affected by HIV in the world and is home to the largest number of people living with HIV.

The HIV epidemic in this region is generalised but young women, men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, prisoners and people who inject drugs are at an increased vulnerability to infection.

Improved availability of HIV testing services now means less than two out of every ten people living with HIV are unaware of their status.

The number of people living with HIV in Eastern and Southern Africa continues to increase, but access to antiretroviral treatment is increasing as well.

Although laws and cultural traditions vary between East and Southern Africa n countries, there are a number of ingrained cultural, structural and legal barriers to HIV prevention.

HIV infections Rate in Africa

95% of new HIV infections in Middle East and North Africa.

64% of new HIV infections in Western and central Africa.

25% of new HIV infections in eastern and southern Africa.

HIV/AIDS Education and Awareness in Africa

In this Monday, Feb. 16, 2015 file photo, a child holds a book while attending an HIV prevention session entitled “Healthy Choices for a Better Future” to a group comprised of children, adolescents and adults who are either HIV-positive or at high risk of catching HIV due to their circumstances, at a center run by a Kenyan non-governmental organization in the Korogocho slum neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya. Photography: AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File.

Experts identified insufficient funding, inadequate health care and stigma hampers HIV/AIDS education and awareness activities in the region. The disproportionately high HIV prevalence throughout the region suggest the lack of appropriate interventions to protect young women and to meet their sexual and reproductive health needs as they prepare for adulthood a report noted.

HIV-counseling and prevention course facilitators Evelyn Ojwang, center, and Henry Owino, right, conduct an HIV prevention session entitled “Healthy Choices for a Better Future” to a group comprised of children, adolescents and adults who are either HIV-positive or at high risk of catching HIV due to their circumstances, at a center run by a Kenyan non-governmental organization in the Korogocho slum neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya. Photography: AP Photo/Ben Curtis.

Knowledge of prevention remains stagnant and high infection rates continue to impact women and young girls. Though sensibilization is widely done on the radio and through posters. The fact that a large part of population can read and speak the official language(s) spares them misinterpretations due to translation errors.

HIV Treatment and Prevention

Over 23.8 million infected persons in all of Africa and roughly 69% live in sub-Saharan. At a cost of $10,000-15,000 per person per year it would have cost sub-Saharan countries between 9% and 67% of their GDP to provide triple combination therapy to everybody living with HIV in their countries .

The HIV prevention field has evolved rapidly over the last five years. Numerous interventions to prevent HIV acquisition are available; however, these have not been implemented and utilized in relation to the magnitude of HIV burden.

For example, Botswana’s successful treatment programme allayed doubts that antiretroviral treatment for poor African countries was unfeasible. Its programme has been by far the most successful in Africa, although Namibia (treating 71% of those in need in 2006), Rwanda (72%), Kenya (44%), Malawi (43%) Swaziland (42%) Uganda (41%), have also been regarded as reasonably successful at rolling out treatment.

Number of Deaths due to HIV/AIDS

A World Health Organization report indicated that estimated 470 000 (340 000−630 000) people died in the African Region from HIV-related causes in 2018, which indicates that mortality has dropped by almost 40% since 2010.

Investments in Campaign Against HIV/AIDS

At the end of 2018, US$ 19.0 billion (constant 2016 dollars) was available for the AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries, almost 1 billion less than in 2017.

Around 56% of the total resources for HIV in low- and middle-income countries in 2018 were from domestic sources.

UNAIDS estimates that US$ 26.2 billion (constant 2016 dollars) will be required for the AIDS response in 2020.

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Awareness Road Map

While the global fight to defeat AIDS has produced remarkable progress over the past decade with HIV infections among children and deaths from related illnesses among people of all ages nearly cut in half greater efforts are needed to overcome one of history’s greatest health crises, delegates told the General Assembly at a meeting in early June of 2019.

Experts suggested that intensifying prevention activities requires a thorough understanding of the HIV epidemic typologies, modes of transmission and populations affected as these inform the extent to which evidence based modalities can be customized and combined to substantially reduce HIV transmission which is critical in continuing the path to altering epidemic trajectory.

Global HIV & AIDS statistics – 2019 fact sheet

HIV and AIDS in EAST and Southern Africa Regional Overview

Africa is the most affected region by HIV/AIDS in the world, particularly among young women.