Aids in Africa

Today there is not a single country around the world which has wholly escaped the AIDS epidemic. As the epidemic has matured, some of the developed nations which were hard hit by the epidemic in the 1980s such as the United States have reported a slowing in the rate of new infections. No region of the world bears a higher AIDS-related burden than sub-Saharan Africa. The impact of AIDS on the region is such that …

…in Africa. The majority of the world’s estimated 1.1 million HIV+ children live in the hard-hit sub-Saharan African nations. Thus far, the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has decreased fertility rates, increased mortality rates, , and disrupted family structure. Through AIDS-prevention programs aimed at increasing condom use, reducing high-risk sexual behaviors, improving HIV screening, promoting alternatives to breastfeeding, and reducing social stigma associated with AIDS there can be a positive and measurable impact on HIV prevalence.