Human Security and AIDS in Africa

Abstract

Health of the people is both indispensable for and the means of the achievement of Human Security. Nevertheless, in the reality it is not necessarily taken seriously and tackled as a challenge of the society. AIDS in Africa for example has been marginalized for a long time as a result of a denial of its importance. AIDS control at early stage did not exist while HIV epidemic has been building in Africa during 1980s so called a lost ten years with the application of structural adjustment program after the independence.
The reductions of the vulnerability of individual as well as society including the government are required to avoid and overcome a serious threat to public health such as AIDS. The social vulnerability in Africa to an infectious disease HIV/AIDS can be considered as a result of development itself. Expanding poverty, retreating and contracting health and education sectors, neglected gender problems and reproductive health services and so on, all of these accelerated the growth of AIDS epidemic.
However, as the need for the combat against global infectious diseases including AIDS has been recognized as an essential part of human security around 2000, a remarkable global challenge to fight AIDS has been started and African people are rising up to engage on AIDS control in Africa. Some promising signs of success are beginning to be realized.