Obstacles to HIV prevention, treatment and care in selected public universities in South Africa.
South Africa, like the rest of Southern Africa, is ravaged by AIDS. Higher education in South Africa has a significant role to play in the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS. This article reports the factors contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in three selected public universities in South Africa. To achieve the stated aim, the study answered the following research question: What are the factors contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in South African public universities? The problem in this study stems from South Africa's HIV and AIDS infection rate, one of the highest in the world, especially in KwaZulu-Natal. A qualitative approach was adopted by conducting focus group interviews with the students. The data were analysed using axial coding and open coding, where dominant themes from the discussions were identified and discussed in detail. The findings show that barriers to HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment exist in the tertiary institutions under study. Social and economic interventions are needed to stem the spread of HIV and AIDS at tertiary institutions. A range of recommendations for halting the spread of HIV and AIDS in these institutions is provided.
a Department of Communication Science , P/Bag x 392, University of South Africa , Pretoria , 0003 , South Africa Email: mbathbt@unisa.ac.za.
Blessing
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Mbatha
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013019:South Africa; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents
AIDS pandemic; HIV and AIDS; HIV treatment and care; KwaZulu-Natal province; South African public universities; barriers to HIV prevention; sexually transmitted diseases; tertiary institutions