Aids

Health issues

Health issues

Health issues

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS = acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome

It is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

AIDS

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

• In 2005 over 43 million people lived with HIV.

• In 2006, 3 million people died of AIDS; 5 million more were

infected.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region: it has 10% of

the global population but 60% of the world’s HIV cases.

• 75% of all women with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.

The global hazard

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

• In 2005 25 million people were living with HIV; there were 3.1

million new infections and 2.3 million deaths.

• Only 800,000 people received anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy, a

treatment which prolongs life, but is not a cure. The best

country was Uganda where 40% of cases received ARV therapy.

Sub-Saharan Africa (1)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

Country Life expectancy

without AIDS, 2010

Life expectancy

with AIDS, 2010

Botswana 74 27

Lesotho 67 36

South Africa 69 37

Zimbabwe 71 35

Sub-Saharan Africa (2)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

• The diversion of effort and income into care and medicine, and

into funeral costs.

• The withdrawal of children from school to work on the land.

• The creation of large numbers of orphans.

• The over-burdening of grandparents with childcare.

Impact of AIDS (1)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

Impact of AIDS (2)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

• Research is underway to find a vaccine but this may be a remote

hope.

• Blood is screened for HIV antibodies before it is used for

transfusions.

• Use of ARV therapy is expensive, but cheaper generic versions

of the drugs are being developed. Africa is not the only area

of the world which cannot afford to treat its population.

Management of AIDS (1)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

WHO Region Estimated number of

people needing ARV

therapy, 2005

ARV coverage (%),

2005

Africa 4,700,000 17

Americas 465,000 68

Europe 230,000 12

Western Pacific 970,000 14

South East Asia 150,000 27

TOTAL 6,500,000 20

Source: WHO 2006

Management of AIDS (2)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

The key is to change the behaviour of people by:

• Education about risks, and how to protect themselves.

• Education to raise aspirations and improve lifestyles.

Management of AIDS (3)

AIDS

Health issues

AIDS

Many people now believe that the spread of HIV/AIDS is rooted in

problems of poverty, food and livelihood insecurity,

sociocultural inequalities, together with poor support services

and infrastructure. It is also believed that although responses

to HIV/AIDS have grown and improved over the past decade, they

still do not match the scale or pace of a steadily worsening

epidemic. UNAIDS itself said, in a report published in 2005,

that ‘the AIDS epidemic continues to outstrip global efforts to

contain it.’

The future?

AIDS