How Does AIDS Affect Society Today?
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Individual
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AIDS does not just affect society from the outset, but rather it is a process started on the individual level and repeated many times. Individuals affected with AIDS must deal with lower income potential, either because they cannot find work or have to take time away from work for treatment. Also, many may become social outcasts to a certain extent, especially in those countries where there is less understanding. As noted in a presidential panel report on AIDS in South Africa, "People living with HIV and AIDS, their families, and 'at risk' groups such as sex workers and migrants are often subject to outright social alienation."
Families
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Nearly synonymous, if not synonymous, the impact AIDS has on the families of individuals affected can also be quite severe. As noted by Col. Zile Singh, and Lt. Col. A Banerjee, a professor and associate professor respectively at the Armed Forces Medical College in India, "The entire social fabric of the family is potentially disrupted." This is due to the individual with AIDS needing more care and the family having to provide that care, or do without that individual who may have been contributing greatly to the family's well being before the disease.
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Child Care
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Around the world, an estimated 15 million children have been orphaned due to aids, the vast majority of these in Africa. In Zimbabwe and Botswana, for example, AIDS is responsible for more than three-quarters of the orphans in those countries. These orphans are usually in countries that are considered Third World, where the resources to deal with them are very scarce.
In some cases, those who have lost their parents because of AIDS will be cared for by other relatives. In many cases, those relatives may not be around or will be unable to take care of those children. In those cases, it is up to the country to care for the child, with or without the help of the international community. That can put a further strain on cash-strapped countries.
Global Implications
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All countries will bear some cost expenditures because of AIDS, and that will continue to take money away from other priorities a country may have. In the end, however, Singh and Banerjee note, "The global burden of HIV infection in the years to come will be borne overwhelmingly by people in developing countries."
The fact that the majority of AIDS cases or orphans are in developing countries does not mean the rest of the world will bear no financial burden. Those countries often depend on foreign aid and medications to help with their populations of sick and diseased, whether related to AIDS or any other condition. Therefore, the disease will continue to be a financial drain on the resources of all people of the world.
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veryyyyyyy helpful thanks a lots :)
