AIDS May Kill 80M Africans by 2025

$pvcxGhxztCasey · Mar 4, 2005

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - More than 80 million Africans may die from AIDS (news - web sites) by 2025, the United Nations (news - web sites) said in a report released Friday, and infections could soar to 90 million — or more than 10 percent of the continent's population — if more isn't done soon to fight the disease.

More than 25 million African have been infected with HIV (news - web sites), the virus that causes AIDS. UNAIDS (news - web sites) estimated that nearly $200 billion is needed to save 16 million people from death and 43 million people from becoming infected, but donors have pledged nowhere near that amount.

In its report, "AIDS in Africa," the U.N. agency examines three potential scenarios for the continent in the next 20 years depending on the international community's response.

Researchers determined that even with massive funding and better treatment, the number of Africans who will die from AIDS is likely to top 67 million in the next two decades.

"What we do today will change the future," concluded the report, drawn up by some of the world's leading experts on HIV and AIDS. "These scenarios demonstrate that, while societies will have to deal with AIDS for some time to come, the extent of the epidemic's impact will depend on the responses and investment now."

The three scenarios include a best-case situation, a middle-case and a doomsday scenario. They all warn that the worst of the epidemic's impact is still to come.

"There is no single policy prescription that will change the outcome of the epidemic," the report stated. "The death toll will continue to rise no matter what is done."

Under the worst-case scenario, experts have plotted current policies and funding over the next two decades.

"It offers a disturbing window on the future death toll across the continent, with the cumulative number of people dying from AIDS increasing more than fourfold," it says. "The number of children orphaned by the epidemic will continue to rise beyond 2025."

While there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, anti-retroviral drugs can allow sufferers to live a normal life. Such drugs, though, are too expensive for most Africans, who live on less than a dollar a day and don't have access to modern health care.

Experts have said donors' money needs to be spent to train more health workers, develop better clinics and subsidize medications as well as promote more prevention programs.

AIDS already has a devastating impact on Africa.

UNAIDS has reported that life expectancy in nine countries has dropped to below 40 because of the disease. There are already 11 million orphans because of AIDS, while 6,500 people are dying each day. In 2004, 3.1 million Africans were newly infected, the agency said.

"If by 2025, millions of African people are still becoming infected with HIV each year, these scenarios suggest that it will not be because there was no choice," the report said. "It will be because, collectively, there was insufficient political will to change behavior at all levels, from the institution, to the community, to the individual, and halt the forces driving the AIDS epidemic in Africa."

Hundreds of experts and people living with the virus helped draw up the report.
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A famous economist, Thomas Malthus, saw/sees this as "Population Control". Crazy? I don't know.

Also, funny how people donate millions towards a natural diaster, but nothing towards this, which will kill more people than Hitler or Stalin ever did. But of course, this is a disease, not a person.

Branden · Mar 4, 2005

I agree. It's a terrible thing.

I think maybe the reason not more people donate to this is because the Tsunami just hit and took out a lot of people at once. AIDS will take out many more people, but more slowly. I don't really think that it shocks people, even though it should.

lp_sk8ergurl · Mar 4, 2005

This is a very serious issue, but unfortunately people aren't taking it into consideration.

Evil Angel · Mar 5, 2005

Man hair-raising news!!!

htep.fan · Mar 5, 2005

What fucks it up more is that Africa is not stable neither politically nor economically (they both go together). Many people don't know it, but Africa is a lot more fucked up than the Middle East or (I have to admit) Latin America. There's a lot of dictators, tribal wars, massive migration between countries, destroyed economies, etc. And the thing is, it never touches people from the rest of the world because no one there is affected by it.

In such terrible conditions, how couldn't AIDS spread there? And how could it ever get help there?

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AIDS May Kill 80M Africans by 2025

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Branden hey! LPA Super Member

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AIDS May Kill 80M Africans by 2025

$pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

Branden hey! LPA Super Member

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Evil Angel Ambient

htep.fan Well-Known Member

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