Sharing Hope with People and Families Affected By Hiv/Aids A Challenge to The Anglican Church
Date
2002-02
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
The most life threatening disaster in the world today is Human Immune
Deficiency virus (HIV) infection and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS). It is a severe life-endangering epidemic caused by a virus spread through
infected blood. The AIDS virus is spread through semen, vaginal secretion and blood
transfusion. 75% of AIDS victims in Kenya get it through sexual intercourse. This new
infectious disease is primarily a 'family disease'. This is because once one family
member is infected by HIV/AIDS, other members of the family are naturally affected.
The following remark by the United Nations(UN) secretary general Koffi Annan
serves to demonstrate this
"This disease, HIV/AIDS, is all around us, within our community and our families and it
will defeat our best efforts of development unless we defeat it first.
In 1996 alone, one million people died of AIDS, the adult death rose in 1997 to
23 million and the report further states that the people newly infected with HIV in 1997
were 5.8 million 2. According to the new joint United Nations AIDS/World Health
Organization (UNAIDS/WHO) report of June 1998, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continue to
progress rapidly. Over 8,500 people are newly infected with HIV — the virus that cause AIDS. UNAIDS estimates that 30.6million adults and children are living with
HIV/AIDS. 90% of these people live in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The UNAIDS
report of the year 2000 states that, 36.1 million people were already infected globally 3.
Sub Saharan Africa had 3.8 million new cases by the year 2000.
The first case was diagnosed in Kenya in 1984. Since then, reported cases of
HIV/AIDS have been rising. In 1993, about 780,000 cases of HIV/AIDS were reported.
From January 1995 to June 1996, death toll attributed to AIDS was estimated at 60,000.
Adult HIV prevalence in Kenya is expected to rise from 7.5% in 1995 to 10% in 2000,
bringing to two million HIV+ people. In the same year the annual deaths of adults
between 15 and 49 years due to AIDS is pegged at 200,000 and is likely to shoot to
300,000 by 2005. The cumulative number of AIDS deaths may rise to one million in
2000 and two million in 2005 4. Today in Kenya, the statistics point to between 600 to
700 deaths daily due to HIV/AIDS. Majority of them are the young economically
productive people 5. This brings hardship to families and increase expenditure on health
care.
Description
Keywords
Socio — Economic impacts of HIV/AIDS, family and HIV/AIDS, Care for PLWA's