HIV AIDS

AIDS is widely known to be rampant in the poorest nations of the world. There are many reasons as to why this is, but it all boils down to money. If African nations could afford proper birth control, proper medication, and proper food they would not be affected nearly as much by this disease. 

Being able to afford proper birth control would allow poor nations to stop this problem to be stopped at the root. Because AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease the transmission can be stopped by something as simple as wearing a condom. Poorer countries where the majority of the population live on less than a dollar per day can not afford birth control thus allowing the spread to occur faster than it would in a richer, first world nation where people can practise safe sex without hurting their bank accounts. 

Anti-Retoviral drugs have slowed the evolution from HIV to AIDS in first world countries. The problem with this medication is the price tag. As AIDS is fatal, corporations can charge large amounts of money for their drug because people will pay anything for their lives. However, where people in Canada can pay thousands of dollars for this medication, people in the third world will likely never see more than one thousand dollars at a time and thus not be able to purchase this live saving drug. 

As heard in Stephan Lewis' podcast, malnutrition causes the transformation from HIV to AIDS to be much faster. Also, when AIDS is rampant in the body, malnutrition will only kill you faster. Not being able to afford a proper diet allows for the spread and maturation of AIDS to be faster. 

Stephan Lewis' NGO is designed to slow and maybe even one day stop the spread of AIDS. They run fundraisers with simple things such as book exchanges and tea parties, but also go to Africa to try and help these families on a one to one basis.