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About HIV/AIDS Epidemic |
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More Statistics About the Epidemic
In 1986 Uganda began its campaign for behavorial change in response to AIDS; in 1991 Thailand instituted Asia's most extensive prevention program; in 1997 Brazil was the first developing country to provide free combination treatment; and in 2002 Botswana began Africa's first national AIDS treatment program but there is still alot more to be done in every country and by every person to stop the spread of the pandemic" |
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has affected every nation and has claimed millions of lives. The current status of the pandemic is: -
33.2 (30.6-36.1) million people living with AIDS in 2007 and approximately 22.5 (20.9-24.3) million living in subsaharan Africa
- There were approximately 2.5million new infections in 2007
- There were about 2.1 million deaths due to AIDS in 2006
- Impact of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic (Healthcare):
- In sub-saharan Africa, people with HIV/AIDS related diseases account for more than half of the hospital beds --> this is especially devastating in a region where the number of beds is limited
- Most HIV positive people are not admitted to the hospital until the later stages of their illness which may reduce their chance of recovery
- Many countries have lost fractions of their healthcare workforce to AIDS
- The disease places a strain on healthcare workers and the health infrastructure because treatment provision requires additional training and time and this creates pressure in countries that there is already a shortage of personnel"
The epidemic has not only had a detrimental impact on the healthcare sector of many developing countries, it has also had a grossly negative impact on households:
- There is disintegration of the household and income earners may be prevented from working because of the disease (either they themselves are positive or they have to care for positive family members)
- Children may be forced to leave schools and some women are shuttled into prostitution to provide
- There is an increase in the number of people living in poverty due to AIDS because work is neglected, there are care expenses and savings and assets are sold or used"
- An especially devastating impact on children is the loss of their parents or caregivers
The AIDS epidemic also has a devastating impact on the education capabilities of a country: -
There is a decrease in the number of enrolled students and it has been shown that young people with little or no education may be 2.2x more likely to become infected with HIV
- The supply of teachers is also decreased by illness of death due to AIDS and it is very difficult to replace experienced teachers who may have been highly depended on to teach multiple classes
One of the most crippling effects of the AIDS epidemic is on the economy and population life expectancy of a country: -
The disease reduces resources, skills, and productivity of individuals in their prime years while increasing costs of a company or government
- It is documented that the life expectancy of people living in sub-Saharan Africa has fallen five years since 1990 due to the epidemic
- "AIDS is acting as the single greatest barrier to Africa's development and has played a more significant role in the reversal of human development than any other single factor"
For more information about HIV/AIDS in Liberia please click the link “About the Program.”
The information provided about HIV/AIDS in Africa was extracted from: the aids impact page of the international AIDS charity AVERT. |
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For more information on global distribution and access to treatment : http://www.theglobalfund.org/documents/publications/factsheets/ARV_Factsheet_2007.pdf |
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