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Continent's development hampered by HIV/AIDS

    JOHANNESBURG

    The HIV/AIDS pandemic has become the greatest challenge to development in Africa, the Deputy Speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament, Edna Madzongwe, has said.

    Madzongwe was quoted by a local newspaper, The Herald, as saying: "Equally disturbing is the fact that HIV/AIDS is estimated to have reversed 40 years of sub-Saharan Africa's socioeconomic progress, and reduced its life expectancy to between 40 and 50 years."

    She said the pandemic was also decimating the agricultural base in the subregion by taking a toll on the labour force and extension workers.

    Although global statistics indicate that 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected part of the world.

    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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