How Hiv/Aids Affect Population
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HOW HIV AND AIDS AFFECT POPULATIONS by Lori S. Ashford
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he AIDS epidemic is one of the most destructive health crises of modern times, ravaging families and communities throughout the world. By 2005, more than 25 million people had died and an estimated 39 million were living with HIV. An estimated 4 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005—95 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, or Asia. While sub-Saharan Africa has been hardest hit, other regions also face serious
HIV and AIDS by Region, 2005
Region
Prevalence (% of Number of adults and children adults with HIV or AIDS) living with HIV or AIDS 1.0 6.1 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 38,600,000 24,500,000 330,000 1,500,000 1,300,000 7,600,000 1,600,000 78,000 720,000 440,000 680,000
World Sub-Saharan Africa Caribbean Eastern Europe/Central Asia North America South/Southeast Asia Latin America Oceania Western/Central Europe North Africa/Middle East East Asia
NOTE:
AIDS epidemics (see the table and Box 1). In recent years, nationally representative surveys have enabled researchers to lower the previously published HIV prevalence estimates for some countries. But the number of people infected and the effects on their families, communities, and countries are still staggering.1 This policy brief gives an overview of the effects of HIV and AIDS on population size, characteristics, and well-being. It also highlights the major efforts needed to control the epidemic. The pandemic continues to spread worldwide despite prevention efforts and successes in a few countries. Comprehensive approaches to improve reproductive and sexual health will require continued commitment and investment.
Demographic and Health Effects of HIV/AIDS
Estimates of prevalence include adults ages 15 and older who are infected with the HIV virus or who are suffering
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HOW HIV AND AIDS AFFECT POPULATIONS by Lori S. Ashford
T
he AIDS epidemic is one of the most destructive health crises of modern times, ravaging families and communities throughout the world. By 2005, more than 25 million people had died and an estimated 39 million were living with HIV. An estimated 4 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005—95 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, or Asia. While sub-Saharan Africa has been hardest hit, other regions also face serious
HIV and AIDS by Region, 2005
Region
Prevalence (% of Number of adults and children adults with HIV or AIDS) living with HIV or AIDS 1.0 6.1 1.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 38,600,000 24,500,000 330,000 1,500,000 1,300,000 7,600,000 1,600,000 78,000 720,000 440,000 680,000
World Sub-Saharan Africa Caribbean Eastern Europe/Central Asia North America South/Southeast Asia Latin America Oceania Western/Central Europe North Africa/Middle East East Asia
NOTE:
AIDS epidemics (see the table and Box 1). In recent years, nationally representative surveys have enabled researchers to lower the previously published HIV prevalence estimates for some countries. But the number of people infected and the effects on their families, communities, and countries are still staggering.1 This policy brief gives an overview of the effects of HIV and AIDS on population size, characteristics, and well-being. It also highlights the major efforts needed to control the epidemic. The pandemic continues to spread worldwide despite prevention efforts and successes in a few countries. Comprehensive approaches to improve reproductive and sexual health will require continued commitment and investment.
Demographic and Health Effects of HIV/AIDS
Estimates of prevalence include adults ages 15 and older who are infected with the HIV virus or who are suffering
References: UNAIDS, 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic (Geneva: UNAIDS, 2006). New estimates of HIV prevalence are derived from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), which take a representative sample of the total population ages 15-49. In countries without a DHS, HIV estimates are calculated from antenatal care facilities and other sources not representative of the total population. 2 Carl Haub, 2006 World Population Data Sheet (Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2006). 3 Peter R. Lamptey, Jami L. Johnson, and Marya Khan, “The Global Challenge of HIV and AIDS,” Population Bulletin 61, no. 1 (2006): 8-9. 4 UN Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision (New York: UN, 2005); and UNAIDS, 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. 5 United Nations, The Impact of AIDS (New York: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division, 2004). 6 Lamptey, Johnson, and Khan, “The Global Challenge of HIV and AIDS.” 7 United Nations, The Impact of AIDS: 63. 8 United Nations, The Impact of AIDS: 85. 9 Kim Best, “Family Planning and the Prevention of Motherto-Child Transmission of HIV,”FHI Working Paper Series WP04-01 (Research Triangle Park, NC: Family Health International, 2004). 10 UNAIDS, 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic: 224. 11 Lamptey, Johnson, and Khan, “The Global Challenge of HIV and AIDS”; and Jeremy Shiffman, “Has Donor Prioritization of HIV/AIDS Control Displaced Aid for Other Health Causes?” (paper presented at the annual meetings of the Population Association of America, Los Angeles, March 30, 2006). 1 Ac k n ow l e d g m e n t s Lori S. Ashford of PRB prepared this brief based in part on a longer report by Peter R. Lamptey and Jami L. Johnson of Family Health International and Marya Khan of PRB. Thanks are due to several people who reviewed this brief: Carl Haub, Marya Khan, Mary Kent, Rachel Nugent, and Rhonda Smith of PRB; and Mary Ann Abeyta-Behnke, Megan Gerson, Mai Hijazi, Beverly Johnston, and Joan Robertson of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Funding for this policy brief was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development, under the BRIDGE Project (No. GPO-A-00-03-00004-00). © July 2006, Population Reference Bureau POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel.: 202-483-1100 I Fax: 202-328-3937 I E-mail: popref@prb.org I Website: www.prb.org PRINTED WITH BRinging Information to Decisionmakers for Global Effectiveness SOY INK TM