The Zulus were not ignorant to the disease. They were scared. It's the same idea behind postponing an AIDS test or not going to the dr when feeling ill. The people were scared of the prognosis. If they confronted the monster head on, they would have to face the reality of the disease and the implications of the illness. Those people knew they had no money to buy the medicine that probably wasn't available to them to begin with. If "the sickness" was identified as HIV and AIDS, the people infected would have to face their death sentence. On top of that, you contract the disease through sexual contact. Men cheating on their wives and vice versa would have to acknowledge their affairs to their families. The implications in the film were not that of ignorance but of fear and denial.
As far as the children living under bridges, South Africa is a country ravaged by AIDS. Orphaned children end up on the streets for lack of somewhere else to go. Entire families are lost to AIDS. The effects of the apartheid is still wreaking its havoc on the native population and now, AIDS has wiped out millions.
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