Chapter 9: Language and Power Issues in Hiv/Aids: Some Evidence, Challenges and Solutions from South African Research

Over the past decade, HIV/AIDS has spread with astounding rapidity. The impact of this epidemic has been particularly high in sub-Saharan Africa where there are over 25 million people living with HIV and AIDS. This disease has become one of the most important public health problems in South Africa and has created more challenges to science and medicine than any other single disease. South Africa has the largest HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world with 5.7 million people living with HIV. The adult prevalence rate is 18.1% and about 29% of all pregnant women in the country have HIV/AIDS. Thus while the country is home to 1% of world population it carries 10% of the global health burden. Those particularly at risk include women and children. The majority of new infections are in women and life expectancy for women in the country is now 35-37 years. It is estimated that one in three women aged 30-34 years are living with the disease and that there are now over 280,000 children younger than 15 years living with HIV in South Africa. Globally there are 1,500 new infections in children each day and 1,400 are in Africa. At least 90% of infections in sub-Saharan Africa are due to transmission from mother to child (Abdool Karim & Abdool Karim, 2005).