With nearly 39 million people infected in 2005, the HIV/AIDS epidemic’s tragic effects resonate worldwide. The year also marked a high global total for AIDS related deaths with the number reaching 2.8 million, despite developments in antiretroviral treatments since the disease’s emergence more than two decades ago.


Africa remains epicenter for the disease
While its origin remains undetermined, HIV’s spread across the African continent began as a band moving from the west to the east in the 1970s and early 1980s. Since then, the disease has tightened its grip around southern African countries with 5 million people infected.

Almost 1 in 3 people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNAIDS. The mid-1990s was the backdrop for the highest rates of infection in the region, but recent evidence shows a leveling off in some countries. Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland have the highest percentage of people who are HIV positive.

African women face a greater chance, at least 1.4 times, of being infected with HIV than their male compatriots. Seventy-seven percent of all women infected with HIV live in the region. This speaks volumes towards the absence of education about protection, the early sexual debut and ingrained sociological elements present in traditional African society.

There is no such thing as a single African epidemic. Both UNAIDS and the World Health Organization emphasize this fact.

The spread of the disease has been framed as a series of distinct outbreaks. UNAIDS in particular underlines the unpredictable nature of HIV/AIDS in the region in its 2006 global report, serving as a disclaimer in their statistics tracking the infection, prevalence and death in South Africa.

Global impact of HIV/AIDS
The impact of the strain HIV/AIDS has put on human resources spans all levels. Countries most affected in their human capital by the disease have felt the pressure on their national capital as well. HIV/AIDS can stunt, and in some cases reverse, economic growth and living standards by deteriorating investment potential and weakening governance. The World Bank reports that 24 African countries have lost 0.5 percent to 1.2 percent of per capita growth each year since [date?].

As a result of a plummeting life expectancy and the rise in the number of orphans, national social programs face additional work because of HIV/AIDS. Countries whose social programs already face problems (as is typical in developing nations) are further challenged by the social welfare demands left behind by the disease.

Women bear the greatest burden when it comes to HIV/AIDS. They are more likely to be infected and affected by the disease. If not coping with the disease themselves, women are expected to care for infected relatives and to assume family responsibilities. The situations resulting are detrimental in the development of economic independence and can lead to poor educational opportunities, which brings down national development overall.

Audio

Professor Hansjoerg Dilger
Department of Anthropology and Center for African Studies, University of Florida

Professor Dilger speaks about prevention campaigns and their efficacy in different countries.