The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Kenya: impact and education

HIV and AIDS in Kenya

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a very deadly disease. This disease causes debilitating illness and ultimately causes early death in people who are in the prime of their lives. This illness has major affects on the families that are impacted. HIV / AIDS ruins the lives of many, those infected and their families. Children are orphaned, wives are widowed and families become improvised because of these horrible diseases. This disease diminishes the individual's ability to work and support themselves and their families. The cost of caring for the person with this disease is an overwhelming burden on the household finances. Africa is known for its pandemic of HIV / AIDS, which needs more attention and worldwide care (Kyobutungi et. al., 2009). Kenya is one of the countries in Africa where many people are infected, ill because of HIV / AIDS, spouses are left alone to care for their children, families are improvised, and children are orphaned and homeless because of this horrible plague.

Thesis

It is important to understand how devastating the impact of the HIV / AIDS epidemic is in Kenya. A large percentage of population is infected and more people continue to get infected each year. There is a lack of education about the how HIV / AIDS is transmitted and how to prevent infection.. Although the Kenyan government has made much progress in the last few years in communication information to the general public about this horrible epidemic, there is still a lack of knowledge. The citizens of Kenya need to be educated about HIV / AIDS, about the dangers of this disease and educated about safe sex practices. Educating the public about how to protect themselves from being infected is essential to stop this epidemic.

Description of HIV / AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). HIV / AIDS is a condition in human beings that breaks down the immune system, causing the person to become susceptible to all types of life-threatening infections. HIV / AIDS is transmitted sexually, through vaginal fluids, semen, blood or breast milk, it is also transmitted through blood transfusions. This virus is mainly transmitted through, blood transfusions, unsafe sexual practices, contaminated needles; breast milk and transmission from an inflected mother to her baby at birth (Wikipedia, 2011).

Prevention of HIV / AIDS

There are many different things that can be done to prevent this widespread of HIV / AIDS. Educating the population about the virus, how it is spread and how to prevent spread of HIV / AIDS is essential. Voluntary counseling and testing is essential for the prevention of HIV / AIDS. Utilization of condoms and practicing safe sex by limiting partners will help prevent HIV / AIDS (Irungu et. al., 2008). Spreading information about this disease will help raise awareness of the disease and educate people about how it is spread.

In Kenya they have used many different methods of communicating the impact of this virus to the residents. The media and many other methods of communication interventions were placed to inform and educate the public about the disease and to promote change that would create a healthier sexual practice in Kenya. Muturi (2005) found that although much of Kenya residents have heard the communicated message, many people still do not understand the message; they do not understand the impact of HIV / AIDS.

UN HIV / AIDS Strategy

The United Nations have recognized HIV / AIDS as a serious problem, especially in Africa. The UN has developed a strategic plan for fighting this problem. The first step is that UN plan is to enhance social protection which will reduce the individual's chance of becoming infected with HIV. The UN will help to educate the public about this disease, the dangers of HIV / AIDS, and how to protect themselves from getting infected. The UN is asking everyone to get involved to stop this deadly epidemic (UNAIDS, 2009).

HIV / AIDS Statistics

According to Avert Statistics in 2009 there is an estimated 33.3 million people living in the world with HIV / AIDS, there is 16.6 million children orphaned because their parents died from HIV / AIDS. In the Sub-Saharan Africa where Kenya is located, there are 22.5 million people infected with HIV / AIDS (Avert, 2009). This is a significant amount of people infected; this is the largest area of infection in the world. In the United States there is an estimated one million people who are infected with HIV / AIDS (CDC, 2010). In 2009 in the Sub-Saharan Africa there was 1.3 million deaths related to HIV / AIDS. According to the Ministry of Health in Kenya "Treatment of eligible persons living with HIV & AIDS has resulted in decreased mortality and morbidity, increased quality of life, decreased hospitalization and promoted economic growth as persons on ARVs regain their health" (Mohammed, 2009).

Demographic Information

In Kenya women account for about 65% of the adults living with HIV / AIDS, higher than most of the sub-Saharan African region (Kaiser Family, 2005). The HIV / AIDS rate for women in almost double that of men in Kenya. The majority of the new diagnosis of HIV / AIDS in Kenya occurs with young women, ages 15-24 years and young men under the age of 30. Many children are also diagnosed with HIV / AIDS, many of whom this disease was transmitted from their mother. More people that are poor are infected than those that are rich. People that are less educated are also more at risk for being infected with HIV / AIDS.

Environmental Information

Studies by Onsomu (2010) have found that although Kenya only holds 12% of the world's population, more than 5% of its population is infected with HIV / AIDS. Kenya is characterized by high-risk sexual behavior, behaviors such as neglect to use condoms, multiple sexual partners, and prostitution. Onsomu found there is negative stigma associated with the use of condoms and there is negative attitudes towards sexual education in Kenya. Onsomu also found that the wealthier men were presenting more high risk sexual behavior. The results of the study also showed poor women had lower risk of high risk sexual behavior. The study found the odds of testing positive for HIV was much higher in both males and females when they are inflicted with an sexually transmitted disease.

Current available information shows that people, who are poor, usually have lower access to health care services. They are usually diagnosed and treated for HIV / AIDS later and in many cases cannot afford the necessary medical costs for treatment (WHO, 2008). People with money are also at risk through the use prostitution and unprotected casual sex. The information from the World Health Organization shows that although initially HIV / AIDS was proportional for rich and poor in Kenya, today it is mainly concentrated in poorer neighborhoods in Kenya. The media portrays that individuals who are homosexuals as more at risk for HIV / AIDS, however the research have found that anyone with multiple sexual partners and casual sexual relationships are at risk for HIV / AIDS (Wang, Duke & Schmid, 2009). Educated individuals are capable of making intellectual decisions and have safe sex to protect them from this epidemic.

Temporal Variation

HIV / AIDS is a serious epidemic that has infected Kenya and other parts of Africa. A lack of change in sexual behavior continues to enhance this epidemic (Muturi, 2005). This epidemic continues to threaten the health of Kenya because although many efforts have been made to bring awareness to the public about this problem, very little change has been made. There are cultural traditions that encourages multiple sexual partners, these traditions frowns upon the use of condoms and does not encourage HIV / AIDS testing.

Public Health Decisions

The South African Health Department is taking some important steps to stopping this epidemic. Pregnant women that are infected are required to take highly active antiretroviral therapy to help prevent the baby from becoming infected (Doherty et. al., 2010). Information should be given to the mothers about breast feeding and risk of HIV. More communication and better communication must be administered to the public of Kenya, helping them to understand how this disease is transmitted and how to protect themselves from this disease.

Comparisons

In the Sub-Saharan Africa there is 22.5 million people living with HIV / AIDS in 2009, compared to North America 1.5 million, East Asia 770,000 and Western & Central Europe 820,000. The Sub-Saharan Africa also has the highest AIDS related deaths in adults and children (Avert, 2009). The Sub-Saharan Africa has about 65% of the world's HIV / AIDS diagnosed cases (Bariagaber, 2001). In the last decade infection from HIV / AIDS have declined in the United States, due to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advancements and treatment (Holtgrave, 2005). Holtgrave found that advancement in treatment, and educating the public about prevention was also very important in decreasing HIV / AIDS infections. Although HIV / AIDS is a significant problem in Kenya, there are other countries in Africa that have a higher prevalence of HIV / AIDS. Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland all have 23-25% of HIV / AIDS infected population. The average life expectancy in these countries is now 52 years old and in some regions of the country that is heavily infected the life expectancy is below 51 years (Avert, 2009). The vast majority of people infected and living with this disease in these countries is between the ages of 15 and 49 years old (Avert, 2009).

Summary

The data shows that Kenya is being severely affected by this epidemic of HIV / AIDS. Although the government of Kenya has utilized the media to communicate the dangers of this disease, there is still a lot more communication that is needed. According to Muturi (2005) although the message has been communicated it is not understood by all. Many of the people in the rural neighborhoods and improvised areas have heard the message, however they do not understand what is being communicated. The communication to these people must be on a level where they can understand the dangers of HIV / AIDS. This disease is harmful to anyone impacted and their families. It takes the lives of otherwise healthy, active individuals, who would be able to work and support their families if they were not infected.

Results

In the United States there are many different contributing factors to the decrease in new diagnosis of HIV / AIDS. Sex education is now a part of the public schools program. Children are taught about safe sex in health class. They learn about pregnancy prevention, as well as preventing sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV / AIDS. Information is given to individuals at the doctor's visits. During the adolescent's years, doctors discuss safe sex and birth control with the adolescents. Parents are urged to discuss sex with their children. There have also been many advances with modern medicine. There is available information about how HIV / AIDS is transmitted which helps people to protect themselves from this disease and protect their sexual partners as well.

In Kenya the people are not supportive of teaching sex education at school. In United States there are safe sex messages everywhere, on television, doctor's visits, teachers and health clinics. In Kenya the use of condoms is looked at negatively, it is not encouraged. Multiple sex partners are encouraged in Kenya, while it is frowned upon in the United States. These are significant differences in sexual practices in these two countries. We can conclude these differences could account for the differences in HIV / AIDS epidemic as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, HIV / AIDS is a very serious, deadly and horrible epidemic that is affecting the human population. The continent Africa has been severely impacted by this horrible virus. The lifespan of many of the countries in Africa has been lowered to 50-52. This is a short lifespan for today's modern world, with modern medicine and modern technology. Kenya is one country in Africa that has been affected heavily with this virus. Although there are other countries in Africa that is impacted and have more people currently diagnosed with HIV / AIDS, Kenya is still struggling to control this virus. Research conducted in Kenya have found that although the message is being communicated about HIV / AIDS, many people who live in the rural and poorer neighborhoods, do not understand the message being sent out. During the course of conducting research for this paper, I have learned that more effective communication must be done in Kenya. The government in Kenya, the media, the United Nations and all others involved with helping HIV / AIDS victims in Kenya should try to communicate with the people in poorer neighborhoods and rural neighborhoods in ways that they can understand. This is a horrible virus that must be stopped, it is stealing the lives of many and ruining the lives of much more. Many families become impoverished and children are orphaned because of this virus.