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HIV/AIDS worse than drought

    JOHANNESBURG

    HIV/AIDS has impacted greatly on Swaziland's food crisis, a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) assessment mission warned on Monday.

    The WFP/FAO mission said HIV/AIDS had more potential than drought conditions to worsen the ongoing crisis.

    "HIV/AIDS is overshadowing everything," WFP/FAO mission's agronomist, Anthony Pope, told the UN news service PlusNews.

    Presently, about one-third of the population relies on WFP food aid to stay alive. Most aid recipients reside in the drought-prone eastern areas near the Mozambican and South African borders.

    "The drought's effect is made worse because of AIDS. It is also devastating traditional Swazi life, because before we were all able to help one another in the fields," a Swazi chief confirmed.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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