Summer 2001
"This
summer I was given the opportunity to visit South Africa for five
weeks. My educational goal was to research vertical transmission (mother
to child) of HIV. I specifically chose this topic because, upon graduation
from Michigan State University in December, I plan to study HIV in
post-graduate research.
In 1999, 4.2 million South African adults and children were living
with HIV. During my time there, I realized that HIV and the disease
it causes, AIDS, are two acronyms often used in the everyday life
of most South African people. From my conversations with women who
were teachers, nurses, and domestic workers, I learned that women
often feel frightened ,and powerless against contracting HIV and/or
getting pregnant due to the high incidence of rape and polygamist
marriages.
As far as the light at the end of the tunnel, the government
will begin a program in which HIV-positive pregnant women will be
given neviropine, a drug that, when used during labor, may prevent
the unborn child from contracting HIV. With continuous efforts from
South Africa's Health Ministry, hopefully, the exponential rate at
which the disease is
spreading will reach its peak and cease."
Hazelee
Monea France
Summer
2001
Education,
Society and Learning in South Africa
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