Abstract : The concentration of HIV positive cases is in sub-Saharan Africa (about 66% of all cases) and, specifically, in countries south of Uganda which contain only 3 of the world's population. Discussion focuses on aspects of the African family which pertain to the epidemic, the impact on individuals and families, family care, possible interventions, and future research needs. There is a paucity of social science research on the challenges posed by the AIDS crisis; much of the available literature is based on a few studies. This paper, in fact, is based on the Makerere University and Case Western Reserve research on 22 urban and 24 rural Ugandan families, 30 AIDS cases from Ghana, and 38 Ghanaian households with at least 1 AIDS case. The orphan research pertains to a study of 60 households. Other research came from the Barnett and Blaikie book which reports on a Rakai, Uganda, study of 14 AIDS households among 69 households and 8 AIDS households among 129 households in a family area. Basic social and demographic characteristics of African society must be understood before transmission and social structures for carrying out interventions can be discussed. Women are viewed as property; a reduction in nonmarital sexual relations will impact deleteriously on the economic status of women. The notion that man cannot be satisfied by 1 woman is promoted by the practice of polygyny. The practice of sexual abstinence after childbirth for long periods and traditional African systems where men do not have sexual access to women put men in the position of seeking sex from other sources. Marital instability is considerable and sexual relations are not openly discussed between partners. Sex is considered healthy. The long latency period and the high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases pose other problems. The family typically absorbs the burden of an AIDS-affected member. The economic impact on families is in terms of loss of income and increased expenditures for care. Advocating monogamous relationships has decided advantages, but anti sex campaigns are destructive. Condom campaigns and community education are also needed. Women need to be empowered and given greater economic opportunity.
Notes : English