Aids reduces African life expectancy to 33

[DoYouEverWonder]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=541516

16 July 2004

The Aids pandemic is ravaging countries in sub-Saharan Africa, drastically reducing life expectancy in some parts to less than 33 years, a new UN report said yesterday.

The devastating impact of the crisis can be seen most clearly in seven African countries, including Malawi and Mozambique, where babies born in 2002 are not expected to live past 40 years because of the prevalence of HIV. Children in Zambia, where 17 per cent of the population are infected with the virus, are predicted to live just 32 years. The seven countries have, between them, seen an average drop in life expectancy of 13.5 years since 1990, the UN human development report said.

"In all these countries, Aids is reversing the hard-won development gains of recent decades," said Elizabeth Lwanga, the deputy director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Africa. "We need an unprecedented response to this crisis, which is taking a devastating toll on our communities."



This so sad. Even sadder is the fact that in the 21st century, there is no reason for the African people to have to suffer from the devastation of this horrible disease. Too bad our pResident, Genocide George, doesn't fight AIDS with even a tenth of the effort, that he fought to get rid of Saddam.

[Caution]

1. 3 million dead of AIDS last year

less than 650 people dead of terrorism.

$187 billion spent in last two years on supposed war on terrorism

bush plan for aids?

$10 billion over 10 years


gee, way to get those priorities straight.

[One_Life_To_Give]

2. "Aids Prevention" is a secret plot.

Too bad some of them beleive that "Aids Prevention" is a secret plot.
'It's not actually a disease. The west just tells them that to keep them from reproducing.' If they beleive that all we can do is make them comnfortable and try not to cry too much.

(Learned from Co-Worker who visits SA periodically.)

[SoCalDem]

3. Wide Angle (PBS) had a great piece on last night (Angola)

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/angola/map.html



http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/angola/

[Red State Rebel]

4. Oh that is so sad....

It seems inconceivable that by now they haven't been able to find a cure.

[seemslikeadream]

5. genocide

Congo 3.5 million since 1998

Sudan 2 million

[dw]

6. Just finished reading Keith Richburg's 'Out of America'

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0465001874/qid=1090018786/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/102-9801214-6488129?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

A very difficult read--his first-hand accounts of death and destruction throughout sub-Saharan Africa are most disturbing and frustrating.

There are no simple solutions.

I have a friend who's in the Peace Corp in Gabon. After a year there he's deeply depressed over the fact that Omar Bongo, just one of many tinhorn despots in that continent, is sucking the country dry. And while my friend doesn't want to leave in defeat, he's finding it harder and harder to justify staying.

[daleo]

7. I think this statement is a bit misleading

- "where babies born in 2002 are not expected to live past 40 years because of the prevalence of HIV"

The statement seems to imply nobody (or very few) born in 2002 will live beyond the age of 40, as if HIV was capping life expectancy somehow. In fact, if they are using standard life table methods, it would be closer to the mark to say that 40 is expected to be the median age of death based on current trends - therefore half of all people born in 2002 will be expected to live past 40 (really 40.X years), and half will be expected to die before then.