History
- Africa's first official case of AIDS was reported in 1982 The disease reached epidemic levels in Africa in the 1980s and continued to spread in the years that followed. Transmission of the disease was especially rapid in the area of East Africa around Lake Victoria.
Effects
- According to the United Nations, AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa. Women account for nearly 60 percent of AIDS cases in Africa. Women and young people ages 15 to 24 are at the greatest risk. In addition, many African newborns are infected with the disease because of transmission from HIV-positive mothers. The prevalence of AIDS among adults has devastated the economies of many African nations, with many people missing work because of illness. Deaths among teachers have seriously affected education systems in many African nations.
Geography
- The incidence of HIV infection and AIDS varies across regions of Africa. The rate of infection is much higher in southern Africa than in eastern and western Africa. In South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, an estimated 15 percent to 20 percent of the population is infected with HIV. In Botswana, the infection rate is more than 23 percent. Infection rates exceed 5 percent in East African nations such as Kenya and Uganda. In Nigeria, HIV infection rates are 3 percent. One of Africa's lowest HIV infection rates is in Senegal, where the rate is estimated to be less than 1 percent. Senegal was one of the first African nations to take aggressive action against the disease.
Famous Ties
- For some African leaders, AIDS has not only been a national epidemic, but a source of personal grief as well. In 1987, Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda announced that his son, Masuzyo, had died of AIDS. In 2005, AIDS claimed the life of Makgatho Mandela, the son of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Read more: AIDS in Africa Information | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5138927_aids-africa-information.html#ixzz1pf0MGoZO
Read more: AIDS in Africa Information | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5138927_aids-africa-information.html#ixzz1pezp51fN
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