Health Issues in Africa

South Africa’s has what medical authorities regard as to one of the healthiest climates, in the world, a tradition of playing sports and enjoying an active, outdoor lifestyle, access to plenty of fresh fruit, and vegetables, and some of the planet’s cleanest air, it’s people isn’t as healthy as might be imagined. South Africa major health public concerns are HIV/AIDS, malaria, smoking related disease, and tuberculosis, just to name a few of them but all of which affect the non-white population more than the white; apart form these.
HIV/AIDS in Africa
The rise of sickness in Africa today is mainly caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is the number one killer in African society today. As many as 5.7 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa in 2009, more than in any country. It is believed in 2008 over 250,000 South Africans died from AIDS. Almost one-in-three women, aged 25-29, and over a quarter of men aged 30-34, are living with HIV. The virus is passed from one person to another person through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. HIV damages the immune system, the part of the body that fights infection. Eventually the body becomes so weak that diseases and infections begin to attack the body. As these conditions worse a person is diagnosed with AIDS. HIV can be treated but not cured. The impact of AIDS epidemic is reflected in dramatic change in South Africa’s mortality rate. The overall number of annual deaths increased sharply from 1997 when 316,559 people died, to 2006 when 206,184 people died. This rise is not necessarily due to solely to HIV and AIDS, but it is young adults, the age group that is most affected by AIDS, who is particularly shouldering the burden of increasing mortality rate. This is a strong indicator that AIDS is a major, if not the principal; factor in the overall rising number of deaths. South Africa HIV and AIDS epidemic has