Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  • News

Impact of HIV/AIDS worsening - UN

    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN on Wednesday said HIV/AIDS was ravaging world population growth much more significantly than previously projected.

    Just two years ago, UN demographers projected that HIV/AIDS would result in 300 million fewer people by mid-century. The latest report now pegs the figure at 480 million fewer people.

    The UN said the revision reflects a "more serious and prolonged impact of the epidemic".

    Most of the 53 nations hard-hit by HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa where Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia,
    Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe report that more than 20 percent of their populations are HIV-positive.

    The UN estimates that in just 12 years, the population in these countries will be 19 percent lower because of HIV/AIDS.

    To access the full report online:
    http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/pop850.doc.htm

    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