Instead of declining, HIV is on the rise in South Africa. The latest reports show that HIV incidence is up 10.6 percent from 5.2 million in 2008 to 6.4 million in 2012. This puts South Africa at No. 1 for HIV incidence rates in the world. There are numerous reasons cited including poor screening and low use of condoms. Because of the success of antiretroviral drugs, people with HIV and AIDS are living longer, which increases the chance that the disease will spread. Young women particularly at risk for HIV include those having unprotected sex with multiple partners.
Condoms aren’t just important for preventing the spread of HIV, but also for preventing other sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. But, condom use is actually on the decline in South Africa. The problem isn’t just one of mentality. Condoms are expensive in South Africa, people often have to travel long distances to buy them, and there isn’t much choice in products.
South Africa is one of the fattest countries in the world. According to a recent report, 61 percent of South Africans are overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Even children are affected: 17 percent of children under age 9 are overweight. Obesity is linked to health problems ranging from psychological disorders to diabetes and heart disease. Many people don’t even realize how obese they are. Despite the problem being widespread, only 34 percent of South Africans consider themselves overweight or obese.
A recent study found that healthcare workers in South Africa are at high risk of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, HIV, and hepatitis. Workers often don’t have access to protective gear like respiratory masks and risky practices such as reusing gloves are common. A study found that 20 percent of hospital workers were not vaccinated against hepatitis. More than 68 percent of workers hadn’t been screened for tuberculosis.
The South Africa Depression and Anxiety Group gets about 400 calls a day to its hotline. About 23 people commit suicide every day and 10 times as many people attempt to, the group reports. This puts the South African suicide rate at one of the highest in the world, much higher than the U.S., U.K., and the rest of Africa.
When a pharmaceutical company makes a drug, it is allowed to hold the patent on it for a certain number of years. While it holds the exclusive patent rights, it can charge exuberant fees for and there is little that the public can do about it. South Africa is fighting pharmaceutical companies to allow generic brands to make cheaper versions of the same drugs. While the battle rages, many South Africans are overpaying for their medications.
Throughout the world, not just in South Africa, there is a tendency to focus on cure-based medicine instead of prevention-based medicine. This can be seen in the battle against HIV where the focus has been access to antiretroviral drugs instead of preventative measures such as encouraging condom use. The problem is evident elsewhere, such as treating diabetes with drugs instead of promoting healthy diet or treating heart disease with surgery instead of advocating exercise.
Though the situation has gotten slightly better in the past decade, people living in rural regions of South Africa still have limited access to healthcare. Although 43.6 percent of the population lives in rural areas, just 12 percent of doctors and 19 percent of nurses work in rural areas.
Tuberculosis has long been a problem in South Africa. Rates did begin to decline in 2009, however medical professionals are now seeing an increase in TB cases with strains resistant to drugs. Because research into new TB drugs is going slowly, the death toll is likely to rise.
For a country with some of the world’s highest rates of obesity, South Africa is still plagued with hunger. About 12 million South Africans go to bed hungry every night. The people of the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces are the most affected. Malnutrition has its own set of problems, such as severe anemia, birth defects, and other diseases.
