AIDS IN AFRICA

HISTORY

• In 1959, David Carr died and in 1990 found that he was HIV positive.
• In the late 1960's-70's AIDS was found in the western hemisphere.
• One of the earliest documented HIV-1 infections was discovered in a preserved blood sample taken in 1959.
• The AIDS epidemic officially began on June 5, 1981.

SPREAD

• The current consensus is that HIV was introduced to Haiti by an unknown individual or individuals who contracted it
• HIV is transmitted primarily via unprotected sexual intercourse.
• The second most frequent mode of HIV transmission is via blood and blood products.
• HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, during delivery, or through breast milk.

ORPHANS

• An AIDS orphan is a child who became an orphan because one or both parents died from AIDS.
• There are 70,000 new AIDS orphans a year.
• By the year 2010, it is estimated that over 20 million children will be orphaned by AIDS.
• AIDS-related deaths are often people who are their family's primary wage earners.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

• People living with HIV/AIDS will not only be unable to work, but will also require significant medical care.
• HIV and AIDS affects economic growth by reducing the availability of human capital.
• Without proper nutrition, health care and medicine that is available in developing countries, large numbers of people are falling victim to AIDS.
• AIDS seriously weakens the taxable population, reducing the resources available for public expenditures

ANTIRETROVIRALS

• The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy
• In the same paper he notes that an estimated 700,000 lives were saved in 2010 alone due to antiretroviral therapy.[
• The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs in an attempt to control HIV infection.
• One study in Africa showing that 52% of untreated children born with HIV had died by age 2.