Jonathan Pawlowicz
English 250
17 February 2017
AIDS Inc.
One of the major issues found in Africa are sexually transmitted diseases. Without the right treatment, these diseases cause life-altering changes to the body. This is an issue very important in Africa even today. This problem has been around for many years and people are still trying to come up with helpful solutions. The author of AIDS Inc., Helen Epstein, approaches the issue of AIDS and how it is being resolved in South Africa with a grain of salt.
Epstein starts off the article with a ‘reason for change’. The South African health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was accused of murder by and activist group for not supplying millions of africans with access to AIDS treatment. Looking into exactly what this activist group is asking for, in 2015 there were 54.96 million people in South Africa. According to healthline.com, HIV treatment medication prices vary from $600 to $3,434. That means that the activist group want the South African government to spend somewhere between $32,976 billion or $188,732 billion exclusively on HIV treatment for all of South Africa. Keep in mind these numbers are only for one round of treatment pills as of 2015. This number has probably only increased since then, not accounting for the fact that many people will need more than just 1 series of treatment. On top of all of this according to tradingEconomics, South Africa’s gross income is $3,095,467. This means that just one round of HIV for every person in South Africa would cost the equivalent of all the income South Africa would make for 10 consecutive years. Epstein starts off with this piece of information to prove a point, some form of change is necessary however mass treatment is completely out of the question.
One solution that was attempted was the LoveLife program. The LoveLife program was focused on increasing the general education of the students in the hopes that this would indirectly impact the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, specifically HIV. The LiveLife program kept students active and educated. Their facilities contained sports facilities, sexual health education, and skills training all under one roof. All this was done while also avoiding a political fight. The LoveLife system stayed out of the issue of Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. They did this by excluding HIV positive people. No matter how crude this seemed to be, they received an endorsement from the archbishop of Cape Town, the Kaiser Family Foundation, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. One way the LoveLife program educated these kids is by trying to change their mindset about sex. On page 111, David Harrison is quoted saying, “ The average age at which young South Africans lose their virginity — around seventeen — is not much different from the age at which teenagers in other countries do. What’s different was that many of the young South Africans who were sexually active were very sexually active and more likely to start at much younger ages. This leads to more sexual partners and an increased chance of sexually transmitted diseases. So LoveLife attempted to fix this issue by educating students about self-esteem and self-worth, all without mentioning AIDS or HIV. While all these points are good for these younger people, is it working? What data shows is that it wasn’t. While the South African students were being educated about self-esteem, they were also avoiding the issue of AIDS like the plague. This avoidance manifested itself within the students. The student’s attitudes towards HIV went from worry and caution to carelessness and annoyance. They became blind to a problem that is right before their eyes. It would be the equivalent not believing in the Iowa State albino squirrel. At the end of the day, LoveLife never returned results and many, if not all, of the backers that were giving money dropped out of the deal.
Overall, Helen Epstein in AIDS Inc. takes a close look at the impact of LoveLife on HIV in South Africa as well as how this solution was created. Many activists believe that the government should pass out medications to those who need them like candy. Others believe that the solution to dissolving AIDS and HIV are to educate younger people and teenagers and change their mindset to a belief of more self-worth. From analysing Helen’s article AIDS Inc., I believe that the solution does not come from throwing metric tons of dollar bills on the issue, rather teach awareness and learn to protect one another.
More of a summary, but still good information and good points! Could easily pull out rhetorical arguments the author provides for the reader and analyze them. Organization is strong and introduction is effective.
Works Cited
Wenger, Adam. “The Cost of Treating HIV: One Man’s Monthly Medical Bill.” Healthline. Ed.
George T. Krucik. N.p., 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.
“South Africa Average Monthly Gross Wage | 2004-2017 | Data | Chart.”
South Africa Average Monthly Gross Wage | 2004-2017 | Data | Chart.
TradingEconomics, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.