In a space of three months, AIDS agencies in Africa have issued stern warnings painting a stark picture to the continents health sector. In Kenya, the KNACC has warned that HIV prevalence is still rising in most parts of the country, although prevalence rates remains stable in some regions, recent reports indicate that Kenya which has had the most successful national response to date reducing from over 15% prevalence to less than 6% with consistent national declines since the early 2000s is recording new cases of HIV placing the new prevalence rate at 11%.

However, sporadic stabilized infection level trends often result from rising death rates from AIDS, which conceal a continuing high rate of new infections across Africa.

According to the KNACC, the national HIV prevalence has fallen despite numbers of new infections remaining high. It warns that the prevalence statistics can also conceal much higher levels of infections in certain areas or among high-risk groups.

HIV prevalence is high in Nyanza province. Reports that the medical care available in these areas allows people to mask the true infection rate by maintaining a healthy appearance are evident and have ignited controversy.
In Africa, several factors contribute to the spread of the HIV virus. For one, a stigma is attached to admitting to HIV infection and to using condoms. For instance, many communities deny that the HIV virus causes AIDS: Thabo Mbeki and Robert Mugabe have both suggested AIDS stems from poverty rather than HIV infection. Africa’s myths are attached to the use of condoms and circumcision of the male adult, such as the ideas that uncircumcised men have high chance of contracting AIDS than their circumscised counterparts.

Kenya has officially passed a policy that will enforce male circumcision as a measure to reduce the spread of HIV. There is also the conspiracy that condoms stifle the traditional power of the man in his community.

In the 35 African nations with the highest prevalence, average life expectancy stands at 48.3 years—6.5 years less than it would be without the disease. For the eleven countries in Africa with prevalence rates above 13%, life expectancy is 47.7 years—11.0 years less than would be expected without HIV/AIDS.
Despite many governments in sub-Saharan Africa which bears the brunt has denied that the spread of HIV/AIDS has posed a generational risk, they have now begun to work toward finding solutions through community based interventions.
The prevalence has exposed Africa to greater economic problems with increased spending in the Health sector. Although in general health spending in Africa has never been adequate, HIV/AIDS pause health challenges to Africa.

The health care systems are oriented towards curative treatment rather than preventative treatment or programs designed as effective national responses to the spread of AIDS.

In Uganda, which was once Africa’s success story is now crippling with challenges in its health sector posing a huge problem to its fight aganist HIV/AIDS.
Lack of money is an obvious challenge for many African governments, despite a great deal of aid money being distributed to developing countries with high HIV/AIDS rates.