AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). People with HIV/AIDS have a weakened immune system, making them much more vulnerable to infections and diseases. HIV, which causes AIDS, can be found in the bodily fluids of an infected person. It is transmitted to others through blood to blood contact or sexual contact.
HIV/AIDS began in Africa and Africa today still faces an uphill battle against it. AIDS is the biggest single killer on the continent. Not only are adults and children dying of AIDS themselves, but many children are also orphaned by parents who have been killed by the disease, becoming what is known as "AIDS Orphans." Many babies born to mothers infected with AIDS are infected themselves if proper care and medication are not given to prevent transmission.There are 23.5 million people living in Sub-Saharan Africa who are infected with HIV. In Ethiopia alone, 250,000 children under the age of 5 have AIDS. South Africa has the largest AIDS population, with 5.6 million infected. The United Nations estimates that AIDS will eventually kill about a third of all the young people living in Africa today if something doesn't change. The statistics are staggering, but the number of AIDS related deaths are actually declining due to antiretroviral drugs becoming more available.
EBOLA is still presenting a challenge in West Africa. As of March 2015, over 10,000 people had died from Ebola. It is of particular concern in Africa because proper medical care is not always available and Ebola is highly contagious.
Doctors and nurses treating patients with Ebola must wear protective gear so they do not catch or transmit the virus as it is highly contagious.
The following excerpts come from the World Health Organization's website:
Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. People remain infectious as long as their blood and body fluids contain the virus.
The worldwide pandemic of Covid-19 in 2020 has occured in Africa as well. However, as of 2021, Covid-19 is thankfully not as severe in many parts of Africa as it is in other parts of the world. Since most severe cases of Covid-19 occur in the elderly, some theorize that this has helped contribute to the lower death rate in Africa. The median age in Africa is much lower than the rest of the world (18 instead of 35), some suppose this has helped lower the death rate among the population in Africa.
