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HIV/AIDS cuts Zambian life expectancy

Mortality rates among Zambia's adult population have increased over the last ten years due to AIDS, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The country's Central Statistical Office (CSO) recently claimed that HIV/AIDS had cut life expectancy from 44 years about a decade ago, to 33 years currently. "The adult mortality rate has definitely increased. Local adults are losing at least 11 years of survival because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic," CSO director, Buleti Nsemukila, said. According to CSO, 200 Zambians die daily of AIDS-related illnesses. UNAIDS estimates that 21.5 percent of Zambia's adults are living with HIV/AIDS.

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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