Eritrean’s Incredible Response to HIV/AIDS

In today’s society, we are in some ways fooled by the media. We are shown pictures and videos paired with blanket statements and generalizations which keep us ignorant about what’s really going on. Fear, war, struggle, crime and poverty are words associated with Africa. Little do we know, that is not the whole story. In Africa today, innovation, technology, peace and wealth are a few things that are present in the continent, but as a population we don’t know this. There are great things happening in Africa today.  For instance, Eritrea is defying common stereotypes of sickness and disease. They have become an overwhelmingly healthy country, showing lower rates of HIV/AIDS than some American cities.

The first documented case of HIV/AIDS in Eritrea was in 1988. During these years, Eritrea was fighting for their independence and had little interest in public policy. As the years went on, so did the rates of HIV/AIDS. The people of Eritrea decided to halt this. Many new programs and groups arose to tackle the battle of this deadly disease.  Other than the Eritrean government, other groups involved included Eritrea’s Ministry of Health, The Good Samaritan, and many more.  These groups created practices and techniques while the government created new laws to protect the people. For example, they outlawed adolescent marriage which is a practice that great increases the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS.  Eritrea’s Ministry of Health established a national policy that included guidelines for preventative activities, provision of treatment and care, and securing rights for those people with the HIV/AIDS virus.  They also outlawed female genital mutilation which was a common practice in middle and west Africa. Female genital mutilation put women at greater risk for HIV/AIDS. Women and children’s rights were strengthened, which also kept the risk of this disease lower.  Laws for gender equality were passed as well.  All of these changes have lead to incredibly low HIV/AIDS rates. In 2013, Eritrea held an HIV/AIDS rate of 0.8%. This rate is the lowest of any one country in Africa. This rate is lower that Washington D.C.’s rate of 3%.

This is a truly amazing feat. They have handled and controlled one of the deadliest diseases of mankind in a matter of a couple decades. Eritrea showed an astounding amount of intelligence and innovation while dealing with this matter. I believe it should be a story that should be shown and taught to people everywhere. They have shown a textbook example of public policy and mastered it for the better of their country.  It is a success story that should be told.

Reading these types of stories are very enlightening about not only the country but about ourselves.  What we see in the news and what is actually news are two different things.  Before doing this research, I was truly a person who associated negativity with Africa and its countries.  I originally believed that there was next to no water on the continent, every country was fighting some war, and that HIV/AIDS was prevalent everywhere.  After reading this article I now know better.  HIV/AIDS is a problem in Africa but not as big as I realized.  Many countries, not just Eritrea, are developing and innovating techniques and systems to ameliorate the spread of HIV/AIDS.  This article also shows the sophistication of the Eritrean people and those in charge.  Originally I used to believe that many African countries had underdeveloped societies and inefficient governments.  From this article, my mindset has flipped.  Eritrea shows they have a very efficient government and a modern, well-conducted society.  This article, along with many others, have showed me what Africa is truly about and made me realize the beauty (in this sense politically) that the country captures.