HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS has become a global issue. In 2007 there were as many as 36 million people living with HIV globally, with approximately 2-4 million new infecionts , of which around half a million were under 15 years of age. There were 2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2007.
HIV/AIDS is distinctive from other infectious diseases that generally affect the vulnerable such as the young and the old. Hence the extent of its socioeconomic impact is more devastating. HIV/AIDS mainly affects the reproductive age population from ages 15 through 50 which closely overlaps with the labour force population of age 15 to 60 (or 65). Unlike other diseases, HIV/AIDS delivers a direct hit on the most economically active age group.
Its implications are serious because it signifies the weakening of population which is responsible for activating the society and taking on the role of its future development. HIV/AIDS is currently spreading rapidly in Africa with many countries already facing urgent developmental issues such as massive external debt and economic and environmental difficulties. It is in these countries, where human resources and the labour force responsible for assuming the key role in self-reliant social and economic development, are being ravaged by HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS is also spreading rapidly in Asia. It is said that the present HIV/AIDS situation in Asia closely resembles that which was observed 10 years ago in Africa before it accelerated. HIV/AIDS is not an ‘African Problem'. It is a global problem with the ability to exponentially increase rates of infection in any place in the world.
In a country like Namibia where the impact of AIDS is considered to be severest in Africa, average life expectancy is predicted to decline by as much as 26 years. Children orphaned by AIDS have become an urgent social issue in countries ravaged by AIDS.
As HIV and AIDS are integrally related to reproductive health and rights, it is important to fight the underlying causes of poverty and gender inequality, both of which are intricately linked with population stabilisation.
Regional HIV and AIDS statistics, 2001 and 2007
