HIV/AIDS now a development problem

An international workshop investigating the implications of HIV/AIDS in the workplace in the Nambian capital, Windhoek, this week was given some grim statistics on Monday about the economic impact of the disease in Africa.

In a joint statement by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNAIDS, which are jointly organising the conference said: “For every person who is infected with HIV or ill with AIDS, dozens more are affected at the virus enters their household, leaves them orphaned or strips them of their teachers, workers, managers and political leaders.”

It added that the disease affected the economically active segment of the population, wiping out investments made in training and resulting in loss of skills and expertise. In some African countries it was estimated that up to 20 percent of the gross domestic product could be lost in the next five years.

“The number of working days lost to a person who suffering HIV/AIDS complications or attending the funerals of loved ones and friends is impacting negatively on productivity,” it said.

Quoting a report which is to be released at the workshop, the statement said: “HIV/AIDS has now become the single most important obstacle to social and economic progress in many countries in Africa.” It added that the disease was no longer simply a health problem - it had become a development problem with “potentially ominous consequences.”

An ILO study carried out on the labour forces in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia showed that 80 percent of the people infected in these countries were between the ages of 20 and 49. “In other words, AIDS is affecting and ultimately killing, the most productive labour within the formal sector. Many were experienced and skilled workers in both blue and white collar jobs,” the study said.

The ILO said that employers, to a large extent, were ill prepared to deal with the epidemic and workers who revealed that they were HIV status continued to face discrimination at work. “Many fear addressing AIDS in the workplace could be too costly, while others are concerned they don’t know how best to approach the issue. Surveys reveal that few companies have established comprehensive prevention, care and support interventions in their workplace,” it said.