The essay AIDS and the Ecology of Poverty by Eileen Steelwaggon examines the spread of HIV/AIDS and how it relates to poverty in the developing world. The author argues that it is incorrect to assume that sexual behavior is the cause of the disparity in disease prevalence. The article uses data from a number of scientific studies to demonstrate how socioeconomic variables influence the spread of the scourge in areas of extreme poverty. According to this argument, host factors like malnutrition, the presence of other diseases, a weakened immune system, poor sanitation, and lack of access to medical treatment, like with all other diseases, raise a person's susceptibility to catching the virus. Utilizing an epidemiological perspective, the article outlines how the above mechanisms have significantly increased the scourge of HIV/AIDS among the poor in developing regions.
The article is additionally dedicated to discrediting the narrative that many economists, social scientists and policies makers have utilized while formulating AIDS policy, which is that deviant sexual behavior is the sole cause for the spread of the disease in the developing world. The author castigates current AIDS policies for failing to take into account the factors that foster disease transmission, instead getting distracted by the notions of hypersexuality in Africa which deters investigations into other possible causes of the prevalence of HIV. The article concludes by proposing economic and social recommendations that could stem the spread of many epidemics within developing nations, including HIV. These key points underline the content of the article.
The argument that is posed by the article is compelling. The main theme of the text is to indicate that factors that arise from poverty are more likely a larger contributor to the epidemic in developing countries rather than the sexual behavior of the citizens. The article begins by highlighting all the possible methods that HIV/AIDS can be spread and then analyzing them against the environmental conditions of the developing and developed world. Due to the sum of circumstances in which the poor dwell, they are more likely to contract more illnesses as compared to the wealthy who have a better diet and high-quality health care (Stillwaggon, 2005). It then progresses to analyze the process through which many infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS are spread. The weaker the immune system of a person, the more a contagious disease will take a toll on their body. The article further posits that disease spreads easier due to poor sanitation and lousy health services (Stillwaggon, 2005). Given that most of what the author writes is plausible, it is not hard to buy into the content of the article. Furthermore, most of the sweeping statements that are made are backed up with evidence from past empirical studies that have been carried out on the subject. The comments are backed up with statistical data, an action that indicates the degree to which what is discussed exists within the selected populations. The evidence that is included is immediately cited afterward, therefore making it possible to verify any of the remarks that are made. In the instances where literature is not quoted or cited, the declarations that the author makes are properly reasoned out, with steps that culminated such thinking being outlined. All these aspects make it impossible to not buy into the postulation that poverty contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
There are a few assumptions that the article makes to support the assertions that have been presented. The core assumption is that economic reasons are a significant contribution to the spread of HIV/AIDS in developing nations. Other similar statements include the supposition that like influenza, HIV is a zoonosis that started spreading from the contact of infected blood (Stillwaggon, 2005). Also, while it is apparent that global AIDS policy omits any information on how the economic conditions of developing countries might be contributing to the spread of disease, there is no direct evidence to illustrate that the policymakers are unaware of such facts. Perhaps, as the article suggests, the size of the epidemic overwhelms many of these nations, and as such, they tend to focus on the means of the spread instead of the factors that increase its ability to fester (Stillwaggon, 2005). The author additionally assumes that the majority of Europeans are unaware of the facts that have made infection rates of HIV/AIDS in Africa significantly higher than those within their countries. Instead, they choose to subscribe to the sexual ideal, which indicates that Africans engage in risky sexual practices thus causing the new infections (Stillwaggon, 2005). While the article presents evidence that seems to support all of these assumptions, the specific ideas are yet to be statistically tested or empirically proven, which makes them a product of the beliefs of the author.
The content that is proposed by the article is very applicable. The book has gathered a wealth of information from the areas that have been discussed. The sources of the evidence, which include the UNDP, UNAIDS, WHO and the CDC, are reputable and credible. As such, any notions that have been derived from them are well founded. Moreover, all the information that has been provided comes from studies that have been carried out within the past five years of the publication date of the text, which indicates the relevant nature of the article’s arguments. In addition, the last chapter actually offers some solutions that developing countries can apply to reduce the impact of poverty on the spread of HIV/AIDS. Better yet, these solutions are not costly and are easy to implement. In fact, the article states that in the long run, once the recommendations have been put in place, the involved entities may begin to reap benefits economic benefits from them. Therefore, if any of the nations that have been mentioned decide to attempt to implement the suggested measures, they are more likely to work than fail.
In comparison with other current theory and research, this article is one among several other studies that are deviating from the focus on sexual behavior as the core cause of HIV. Surveys continue to indicate that the spread of the disease is worsened by reasons other than sexual activity, which include vertical transmission, the presence of malaria, poor nutrition and parasitic infections (Stillwaggon, 2009). New research also evaluates the effectiveness of current AIDS policy, indicating that the use of generalization in the application of some aspects of health economics, such as cost-effectiveness analyses, make the treatment of the disease infinitely more costly than it needs to be (Stillwaggon, 2009). Much like the article, evidence from other studies indicates that there is a need to rewrite the AIDS policies to include epidemiological aspects that better reflect all the biological and environmental factors that create favorable HIV spread conditions in some regions but not others.
The article intersects with some of the main themes presented in the week three lecturers, especially the discussions on the concepts of colonialism, imperialism and the apartheid. Colonialism severely exploited the natural wealth of the continent for their gain of the Europeans. To date, Africa continues to suffer the effects of the occupation, most prominently in the form of economic crises. Imperialism altered the long-standing traditions of Africans, imposing their structures which have proven unsustainable in the African context after the departure of the colonialists. Apartheid rule devastated the economy of South Africa, which is presently one of the countries with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in Africa and the world in general. After reading the article, it is easy to relate the economic conditions of Africa with the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Overall, the article is quite enlightening as it suggests a new perspective of looking into and resolving the HIV/AIDS epidemic among developing nations. While poverty has always been considered as a contributing factor, most people view it in relation to sexual deviance. The article links the epidemiology of the illness with poverty. It challenges current policy to include these considerations to serve the developing world better. The addition of the solutions that are affordable and simplistic vindicate the article among the many that only seem to be unenthusiastic on the trajectory of the cessation of the HIV scourge among the poor. The author manages to indicate that there are ties between social status and HIV/AIDS and that economic improvement may substantially decrease the current new infection figures.
References
Stillwaggon, E. (2005). AIDS and the Ecology of Poverty. Oxford Scholarship Online, 1-30. doi:10.1093/0195169271.001.0001
Stillwaggon, E. (2009). Complexity, cofactors, and the failure of AIDS policy in Africa. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 12(1), 12. doi:10.1186/1758-2652-12-12
