The first chapter of Disease, Change, Consciousness and Denial, brought forth a number of interesting ideas within the social and economical impact of HIV and AIDS. At the very central point of their argument, Barnett and Whiteside stress the large discrepancy between rich and poor and the care they receive. As HIV and AIDS have “affected every single continent and every single country,” it’s clear to see how the countries of a higher per capita income can literally buy a healthier life. They don’t however go into detail as to why this discrepancy exists. Do they lack healthcare or education? Is it a cultural or purely monetary difference?
Barnett and Whiteside also stress the lack of political compliance with this blatant data. “Few senior policy makers and even fewer politicians have been prepared to consider the potential consequences of the epidemic and what be done about them.” Moreover, those properly versed have found an easy solution: denial.
However, what struck me most was not a heavily emphasized point by the authors. In fact it seemed almost skimmed over. From an economic standpoint, the most startling data, to me, lay in their predictions. For most large geological regions, Barnett and Whiteside discussed a few key HIV points, most specifically: the data of deaths, the data of the dying, and the data of the future dead. Although sub-Saharan Africa led the overall numbers as well as percentages in current statistics astoundingly, “the coming decade promises two potential hot-spots: the world’s most populous countries, India and China.” I would add to that. Two of what are considered the most favored in economic growth and what many consider to be the future in many aspects of the world, could be crippled by HIV and AIDS.
Philip - in response to your question about why HIV/AIDS has affected poorer areas, I think all the reasons you supplied are a part of the problem. Poor healthcare, poor access to what healthcare there is, limited resources (especially in clinics), stigma, education, etc - all relate back to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point about the economic implications of HIV/AIDS on many of these communities. Especially since it is primarily the young adults who are most affected, HIV/AIDS poses a problem to the economy of a society.. which in turn can cause people to turn to unsafe behaviors, such as making money as a sex worker. If you are interested, here is an article about the economic impact of AIDS (it pertains specifically to Tanzania): http://sichange.org/test/wp-content/uploads/econ-aids-tanzania.pdf
I think the link should work. It's a little long, but I hope you find it interesting even if you just skim it.