AIDS: More Than A Disease

As the number of AIDS infections continue to increase all over the world, organizations like the World Bank are 'belatedly' acknowledging its economic impact.

1 minute read

July 25, 2003, 10:00 AM PDT

By Connie Chung


According to a recent study conducted by the World Bank, "Scholars have seriously underestimated the economic impact of HIV and AIDS, which could cause economies in the worst-hit nations to collapse in two generations unless countries take urgent steps to fight the disease." The report also notes that in South Africa alone, where more than 5 million people are infected with HIV, "if AIDS progressed unchallenged, by the year 2050 -- roughly in two generations -- the per capita income per family would be half of what it was in 1990." Global health specialists assert that the idea of looking at the projected socio-economic impact of AIDS is not a new one, and that AIDS at the present time is "a catastrophe" in itself.

Thanks to Connie Chung

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 in The Boston Globe

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