HIV/AIDS epidemic reaches “crisis proportions”

Namibia currently ranks as one of the three countries most affected by HIV/AIDS in the world, according to the latest UN Namibia Human Development Report. The report published last week, cited an overall prevalence of about 20 percent among sexually active adults. “This means that one in five Namibians aged 15 to 49 is infected and likely to die within the next seven years,” the report said. The “crisis proportions” of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Namibia were already reflected in the number of deaths being reported: “In 1997, AIDS continued to be the number one killer of Namibians , causing as many deaths (1,539) as tuberculosis (847) and malaria (723) combined. Over 11,600 new cases of HIV infection were reported in 1997, bringing the total number of cases reported to almost 50,000.” But it said the number of cases reported was lower than the number of cases which actually occur. UNAIDS and WHO have estimated the total at more than 150,000 out of the country’s population of 1.6 million. The report said there was “anecdotal evidence” indicating that government ministries and private sector firms were losing key workers to HIV/AIDS at an increasing rate, and that the loss of human resources to HIV/AIDS was serious and had to be incorporated into Namibia’s human resource development planning. The disease was also creating a burden on the health care system which would increase over the next five years. “In Namibia, an estimate of these costs, which will continue to grow in the context of a weak economy, is found to be equivalent to 20 percent of GDP by the year 2000,” the report said. “Many Namibians have expressed surprise and great concern about the alarming spread of HIV.” Urging support for a strategic plan to tackle the crisis, the report concluded: “The silence that still surrounds AIDS in Namibia continues to be a dangerous obstacle in meeting the challenge. Political leadership, health workers, employers and ordinary people must accept the fact that AIDS in Namibia is a major threat to the social and economic fabric of the country, and has the potential to render other developmental efforts null and void if not addressed.” Further information can be obtained by consulting the UNAIDS website on: http://www.unaids.org/highband/index.html