Read more articles about the pandemic:

——
Death Stalks a Continent
(Time Magazine), a moving photo essay by world
renowned photo-journalist and war correspondent James Naughtwey. View photo essay.


AIDS in Africa Scenarios

(UNAIDS Project) This project aims to develop Africa-wide scenarios focusing on the impact of and response to the AIDS epidemic. With millions of Africans already killed by AIDS, and many millions more infected with HIV, the epidemic represents a huge challenge to the future of the continent. Read more...

 

AIDS IN AFRICA

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“This catastrophe is unprecedented. Never in history have we had to think about what life will be like on this planet with millions and millions of children growing up on their own, struggling to survive. Not only do we have a moral obligation to take care of these children, but for the sake our species, for the love of life as we know it, we had better act now, before it’s too late.”

Lauren Segal, Co-Founder


ALARMING STATISTICS*

62% of HIV/AIDS cases worldwide are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

58% of AIDS cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are women.

Which means almost 35% of AIDS cases worldwide are women in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In Swaziland 43% of pregnant women are HIV positive.

One third of the entire population of South Africa is HIV positive.

Everyday 6500 Africans die of AIDS; equivalent to two 911’s every single day.

There are an estimated 40.3 million people worldwide currently living with the HIV virus; and almost 5 million newly infected people in 2005.

Everyday, nearly 1800 children under the age of 15 contract the HIV virus and 1400 die of AIDS-related illness.

Every 14 seconds, an African child loses a parent to AIDS.

Everyday, more than 6,000 young people aged 15-24 acquire the HIV virus.

Only 10% of the 15 million African children orphaned by AIDS are receiving any kind of public support.

“Child-Headed Household” is an official population category in South Africa. Young girls have to prostitute themselves to provide for their siblings.

——
See graphs and charts about the state of childhood in Africa. www.unicef.org/sowc06/statistics/charts.php


These vulnerable children suffer from a myriad of problems and human rights abuses*:

Grief and stress of watching parents fall ill and die.

A decline in nutritional status.

Loss of health care.

Increased demands for their labor.

Reduced opportunities for education.

Loss of inheritance.

Homelessness.

Discrimination.

Physical and sexual abuse, which in turn exposes them to HIV infection.


A GLOBAL VIEW
Global Estimates For Adults + Children, End 2004*


Region

Sub-Saharan Africa
South + Southeast Asia
Latin America
East Europe + Central Asia

North America
Western Europe
North Africa + Middle East
Caribbean
Oceania


Living with AIDS

25.4 Million
7.1 Million
1.7 Million
1.4 Million
1 Million

610,000
540,000
440,000
35,000


Deaths from AIDS

3.1 Million
690,000
240,000
210,000
44,000

21,000
92,000
53,000
5,000

* sources UNICEF, UNAIDS, and others