CCS 010: HIV/AIDS

Prof. Tom G. Ondicho

Department of Anthropology, Gender and African Studies
University of Nairobi
tondicho@uonbi.ac.ke
Outline
 Introduction to the
course & teaching staff
 Course content
 Study schedule
 Assessment & Final
Exam
 Getting in touch
 Class Representation
What is HIV?
 Human Immunodeficiency virus
 Human means it only affects
humans and lives only in humans
 Immuno-deficiency refers to
breakdown of the immune
system
 HIV causes AIDS
 Weakening natural defense
system
 There are two strains/types:
 HIV-1-most common
 HIV-2- Rare & less infectious
LESSON 1 - What is AIDS?
 Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome
 AIDS is the disease/final stage of
HIV infection & occurs when
immune system is seriously
damaged
 A set of symptoms and
opportunistic illnesses become
common
 There is currently no cure for
HIV-only two people cured so far
 However, with the right treatment
and support people with HIV can
live long and healthy lives. 
THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF
HIV
 American Origins

 Hunter Theory

 Oral Polio Vaccination Theory

 Contaminated Needle Theory

 Colonial Theory
american ORIGINS
 First reported in June 1981 among young gay men in San Francisco, Los Angeles and
New York by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
 Gay sex was suspected as the cause and it was initially called gay-related immune
deficiency (or GRID).
 Later reported among
o IV drug users and Infants born to IV drug using mothers as well as blood
transfusion recipients
o Adults from Central Africa in USA and Hemophiliac Haitians living in the USA
led to believe it originated in Haiti.
 Cases also reported in Europe and in Uganda –as a new, fatal wasting disease locally
known as 'slim‘.
 In January 1983, found among female partners of males with the disease suggesting
heterosexual sex transmission.
 In June, found in children hinting transmission via casual contact but this was later
ruled out
 Later it was concluded that children directly acquired AIDS from their mothers before,
during or shortly after birth.
 CDC identified 5 routes of transmission and ruled out transmission by casual contact,
food, water, air or surfaces.
THE HUNTER THEORY
 Most commonly accepted theory that HIV originated in
Kinshasa in the DRC around 1920s when it crossed
from chimpanzees to humans.

 Soon after AIDS was recognized in humans, found a

similar virus in African green monkeys. white-collared
monkeys and the sooty mangabey monkey - Simian
Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV)

 Another strain of the virus was found in chimpanzees-it

was transferred to humans who prepared or ate the
meat or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the
hunter

 The SIV virus then mutated into HIV on a few

occasions adapted itself within its new human host and
become HIV.

 Every time it passed from a chimpanzee to a man, it

would have developed in a slightly different way wi
thin his body, and thus produced a slightly different
strain.
ORAL POLIO
VACCINATIONTHEORY
 Holds that the virus was
transmitted via medical
experiments with polio vaccines in
Africa (Belgian Congo, Rwanda
and Urundi) during the 1950s.
 The vaccine was produced using
the kidney cells of chimps infected
with SIV which to the subsequent
infection of humans with HIV.
 Theory was disproved as samples
of the original vaccine showed no
traces of either HIV or SIV.
 Kidney cells taken from the Asian
macaque monkey only- incapable
of being infected with either SIV
or HIV.
THE CONTAMINATED NEEDLE
THEORY

 African healthcare
professionals were using
one single syringe to
inject multiple patents
without any sterilization
in between.
 The virus could have
been spread from one
person (ex. a chimp
hunter) to another with
relative ease.
THE COLONIALISM
THEORY
 Under colonial rule Africans were subjected
to harsh conditions in labor camps, leading to
food scarcity, poor sanitation and poor health.

 SIV could have infiltrated those camps and

weakened immune system of the workers.

 Workers may have been inoculated with

contaminated needles.

 Workers may have become infected via

prostitution- many camps employed
prostitutes to keep the workers happy

 Labor camps were set up around the time

that HIV was first believed to have passed
into humans—the early 20th century.
CONSPIRANCY THEORY
 HIV was manufactured as part
of a biological warfare
programme, designed to wipe
out large numbers of black
and homosexual people.
 There is no evidence to
disprove it,
 However, it cannot be
accepted as there were no
genetic engineering
techniques at that time of
emergence of AIDS.
How is HIV Transmitted?
 Unprotected sexual
contact with an infected
partner
 Exposure of broken skin
or wound to infected
blood or body fluids
 Transfusion with HIV-
infected blood
 Injection with
contaminated objects
 Mother to child during
pregnancy, birth or
breastfeeding
12
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS

 HIV/AIDS has spread to virtually

every continent on the planet.
 Approximately 33 million people
worldwide have the disease.
 Presently, the country with the
largest population of people
living with HIV/AIDS is South
Africa (5.5 million).
 There are about 1.1 million
Americans living with
HIV/AIDS. – Fifty-five thousand
new infections occur every year
 Geography

 Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean are the hardest
hit
 WHO estimates 36-44 million are infected with HIV as of Dec 2004
Treatment
 No cure
 No vaccine
 Anti-retroviral therapy
 Post exposure proplayxis (PEP)
HIV IN KENYA
HIV Prevalence by Province
 First case identified in the early 1980s but
disease was little understood Eastern
3.5% National Average:
 Became a serious public health and Rift
North
Eastern
6.3%

development problem Western

Valley
4.7%
0.9%
6.6%
 Declared a national disaster in 1999 and all Central
stakeholders called upon to fight HIV and Nyanza
4.6%
13.9%
AIDS Coast Percentage HIV
4.2%
A multi sectoral approach and HIV/AIDS
positive, women
 Nairobi
7.0% and men age 15-49

mainstreaming adopted NATIONAL

National AIDS
AIDSCONTROL
CONTROLCOUNCIL
COUNCIL 7

 National response included policy

formulation, awareness creation,
establishment of organizations to control
the spread of HIV & AIDS
 Other stakeholders include the private
sector, civil society, development partners
and the government
 About 1.4 million people were HIV
positive in 2007 (6.3% of adults are HIV-
positive)
HIV IN THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

 HIV prevalence 15% tops other universities

 https://chuonikenya.blogspot.co.ke/2016/10/r
anking-universities-kenya-HIV-aids.html
 Students among high risk groups
 UoN HIV policy & programmes
 Awareness creation
 Condom distribution
 ART treatment
 Undergraduate course on HIV/AIDS-AIMS
 Prevent new infections
 Promote positive behavior change
 Reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV
and AIDs on those infected and affected.
 Improve the quality of life of the infected
and affected by the disease
WHY TARGET STUDENTS
 Are at greater risk of contracting HIV and
AIDS because:
 Ignorance - Lack of adequate HIV and AIDS
information awareness of preventive
measures.
 Few youth seek HIV counseling and testing
 Experimentation with substance/drug use and
abuse
 Experimentation with sex and too much body
closeness with the opposite sex
 Negative peer pressure
 Homosexualism
 Rape including coerced sex and date rape
 Influence from the media both electronic and
print media including -internet and social
media
 Tempting influences like music, dances, films
and pornography
 Use of pregnancy contraceptive pills increases
vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted infections
References
 http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Si
mian_immunodeficiency_virus
 http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/AI
DS
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV
 http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/49
9_aids.html
 http://www.avert.org/origins.htm