Hiv/Aids Pandamic

The HIV/AIDS epidemics in Asia and sub-Sahara Africa came from two different drivers which lead to the growing prevalence of HIV/AIDS in these regions. The drivers of HIV/AIDS epidemics in sub-Sahara Africa are "heterosexual intercourses, hidden MSM, culture practices that lead to blatantly unequal gender relations, poverty, civil war (Mayer 5/22)." In contrast, the drivers of HIV/AIDS epidemics in Asia are very different comparing to the drivers in sub-Sahara Africa. The drivers in Asia are "intravenous drug use, commercial sex works, and bridging populations (Mayer 5/22)" from the mostly uninfected HIV/AIDS population to a high prevalence HIV/AIDS population.

The current responses to these epidemics for both regions are totally different due to the fact both regions have two different drivers. For the sub-Sahara Africa nations, the practice of men having multiple sex partners outside of marriage are still occurring but with the increasing of HIV/AIDS awareness, the numbers have been very slowly decreasing. The second responses to the epidemic is to decrease the dependency of the wife of a family by giving the wife a chance to work and support her family in case the husband ever contract HIV/AID. For the Asia nations, intravenous drug use have been steadily increasing based on some of the cases study shown by Dr. Mayer, such as in Hanoi, VN and one of the provinces in China. The efforts are to decrease the number of drugs in the market by passing tougher law for drugs processions. The second response to the epidemic is that the government has recognized the commercial sex works as an industry. In Thailand for example mentioned during Dr. Mayer lecture, the government is working of the commercial sex workers to practice 100% safe sex. So far the compliant have been working and the incidence of HIV has been decreasing over the years.

But in end both of these regions still have the growing prevalence of HIV/AIDS. For the sub-Sahara nations, the practice of blatantly unequal gender relations should be slowing eliminate with the help of the government to give the women the rights to inherent and also create more jobs for women. The government and other organization should decrease the number of HIV orphans because "without education and socialization, many of the HIV orphans destined for marginalization and can not fit into the economy (Bilodeau 5/8)". For the Asia nations, the governments should consider the rapid increase of population especially in the urban area is a detrimental toward the people with live in the rural area. Because with this rapid increase, bridge population between urban population with the high prevalence of HIV and rural population with the low prevalence of HIV will lead to increasing prevalence of HIV in the future for both of the population. In conclusion, there are many more responses that each nations should take into considerations with the help of developed country in order to be successful in the fight against HIV.

II. HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups- Answer A

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic has often been described among the scientific communities as a gendered virus due the fact the scientific studies have shown women have been suffer more than men. Some of the reasons that women have been suffered more than men because in many sub-Sahara nations where prevalence of HIV/AIDS are high, women do not have the right inherent their husband processions after the husband has passed away. With such tremendous task of rising the children and taking care of the sick husband with out a steady income, the wife will only be suffering for the rest of her live. The most likely outcome after her husband has died and if she was abandon by her husband family, she will become a commercial sex worker in order to support and raise her children due the fact that "2/3 of women in Asia and sub-Sahara nations are illiterate (Hunter 184)".

A second reason that women in the sub-Sahara nations may suffer more is that many young women are often being sold and purchase as a very young virgin bride by a much older men in order for the older men to have sex so that the men can be purify from any diseases. That such practice have been illustrated in Hunter's Black Death are very common in many sub-Sahara nations, these practice will create an eternal suffering of the young women whom are being treated as a tool.

The women in many Asia nations who are HIV positive or whom may be seen as a contributor for the growing prevalence of HIV are the commercial sex workers. Most of the women are also illiterate and probably have a very unfortunate past because "at least 4 million women are sold into sexual slavery every year (Hunter 191)". The commercial sex workers do not have an alternative route to stop being a commercial sex