Day 78 – Sickness in South Africa

In South Africa, an estimated 5.7 million people live with HIV. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_South_Africa) This is more than any other country in the world, and those infected are primarily black: while 13.6% of black South Africans are HIV-positive, only .03% of white South Africans are. Sadly, deaths from AIDS has resulted in approximately 1.2 Million orphaned children in South Africa. The infection rate in South Africa is staggering, at over 15% of the population.

In the past, South Africa’s leaders have denied tried to deny that there is a problem with HIV or AIDS in the country. Former South African President Thabo Mbeki denied that HIV was causing AIDS, and the Health Ministry hesitated to provide anti-retroviral drugs as treatment for those living with HIV. In 2006, the Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang even proposed a diet of garlic, olive oil, and lemon as a cure for AIDS. Such attitudes and policies have contributed to the deaths of over 300,000 South Africans.

Despite long-term denial, many governments in Sub-Saharan Africa are now working towards a solution to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The percentage of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment has increased dramatically, and efforts are being made to educate people on how the disease is spread and how it can be prevented. One of the biggest problems is combating people’s “fatigue” on the subject- many are tired of hearing about the disease since it has been such a widespread issue for so long.

It’s sad that so many people in Africa are sick, but it’s even sadder that so many children have been orphaned. Hopefully, the continuing work to advance education and treatment will prevent so many children from becoming orphans in the future. 

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 71 – Switching to South Africa Today: A Mini-Geography Lesson

So, as promised, today is a new country: South Africa! I have not yet been to Africa, but I’m eager to go, and South Africa is one of the countries there that I would like to visit. Here is some information on South Africa's geography (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa#Geography). 

South Africa is located in the southernmost region of Africa and its coastline spans more than 1500 miles and two oceans! (the Atlantic and Indian). The interior of the country is mostly a vast, flat plateau. The south and southwestern parts of the plateau are known as the Great Karoo, which is sparsely populated scrubland. North of the Great Karoo is the dry, arid Bushmanland, and then in the very northwest of the country is the Kalahari desert. The deep interior of South Africa has its hottest temperatures, with the official hottest recorded temperature being 119.84F in 1993! The mid-eastern, highest part of the plateau is known as the Highveld, and here is a relatively well-watered area that contains much of the country’s commercial farmland. The southeast escarpment of the Highveld is formed by the Drakensberg mountains, which have limited skiing in the winter.

The coastal belt moves from hot and dry in the northeast to subtropically hot and humid, to dry scrub land in what is known as the Little Karoo. A narrow coastal strip between the Cape Fold Mountain range and the ocean has moderately high year-round rainfall and is famous for its indigenous forests in the otherwise forest-poor country. In the southwest of the country is the Cape Peninsula, which has a Mediterranean climate. This area produces most of South Africa’s wine! Cape Town is located in the Cape Peninsula and is South Africa’s legislative capital. It is also home to about 3.7 million people.

Here is a picture of the Drakensburg mountains! More on South Africa tomorrow!

Xoxo,

Diana