Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa

Lifespan cut by HIV/AIDS pandemic

    JOHANNESBURG

    Life expectancy in many parts of Africa is falling due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

    In its annual World Health Report, the WHO said HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death for people aged between 15 and 59, reducing the life expectancy of adults in most of southern Africa by at least 20 years.

    In his introduction to the report, WHO director general, Dr. Jong Wook Lee, said: "In some parts of the world there is a continued expectation of longer and more comfortable life, while in many others there is despair over the failure to control disease though the means to do so exist."

    Lee warned of a "growing gulf" in the standard of health care and said 2004 was an "acid test" of world moral commitment to Africa.

    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

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join