AFRICA: Malawi’s women stand up for healthcare rights under HIV/AIDS

AFRICA: Malawi’s women stand up for healthcare rights under HIV/AIDS

           

            With a new president in Malawi, Africa, African women hope for better treatment amongst themselves and their families to obtain “greater access to education, healthcare, opportunity and human rights.” A higher rise in the improvement of treatment for HIV and AIDS has been effective amongst millions of people worldwide, especially within children. “34 million people are living with AIDS, and a higher capacity of those people is orphans that range about 61,000 children living without parents in Malawi, due to AIDS related deaths.”

            Malawi women are currently using the antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV women which results to using the drug D4T. This drug is seemed to be “poisoned” due to a toxic drug called stavudine, which causes fatal lactic acidosis, severe pancreatitis, and the disfigurement of a women’s body. For improvement, President Banda and the government have issued a new antiretroviral (ARV) that has the drug “tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, which is recommended by the World Health Organization as a therapy that may prevent the onset of HIV.”

            Although the United States has issued Malawi 350 million dollars for use of energy solutions, the drug tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is way too expensive for the government to fund. Their plan is to campaign better ARV’s, hoping that the government will gain enough profit to fund the drug. For now, the common virus is affecting more women than men with a greater impact across the country. The Malawi women are “organizing their rights for healthcare and a better life.”

            It is sad that we have to deal with viruses and disease that kill human beings every day. HIV/AIDS is the most common disease that majority of women endure than men. Based on where you live, is where you will receive the best or worst treatment to this disease. Like Malawi women, other women around the world are fighting for better healthcare, fair rights, and equality through organizations and government officials. It is nice to know that there are treatments that are being discovered and recommended to help fight these diseases, even though they are expensive or have bad side effects, these organizations and the government need to find a way to raise money to supply these victims to the best treatments.

http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/01/04/africa-malawis-women-healthcar-rights/

Sheila Floyd

2/15/2013

1:54p.m.