AIDS Will Kill Half of South Africa's Teens Before They Reach Age 60

[Logan13]

AIDS Will Kill Half of South Africa's Teens Before They Reach Age 60
AP
Nov.30, 2006

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Fewer than half of South Africa's 15-year-olds will live to see their 60th birthday because of HIV/ AIDS, according to a new report.

An estimated 950 people died per day during 2006 from AIDS-related diseases and a further 1,400 were infected each day — a total of 530,000 new infections, said the report by the Actuarial Society of South Africa and the Medical Research Council.

The report, issued every two years and widely used as a model for predicting the course of the disease and its impact, included an estimate that 5.4 million of South Africa's 48 million people were infected with the AIDS virus by the middle of 2006 — a figure in line with the government's own estimates issued earlier this year.

Only India is believed to have more people infected with HIV than South Africa.

The report said life expectancy dropped from 63 in 1990 to 51 in 2006. In the hardest hit province of KwaZulu-Natal, it was as low as 43.

"The Demographic Impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa: National and Provincial Indicators for 2006" said that 15-year-olds had a 56 percent chance of dying before the age of 60, compared to a 29 percent chance of dying in 1990.

"The youth of today are facing a bleak future, and much still needs to be done to protect and support this vulnerable group," said Leigh Johnson, one of the authors of the report.

The South African government, long under fire for doing too little to prevent the spread of AIDS and to promote effective treatments, recently revamped its strategy. It gave responsibility to Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ncguka and effectively sidelined Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who has been criticized for praising garlic, lemons and the African potato as remedies while disparaging the benefits of antiretroviral medicines.

Mlambo-Ncguka is due to unveil a plan for prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in 2007-2011 at World AIDS Day ceremonies on Friday. The final five-year plan will be released in March, to allow time for activist groups, who were previously ignored by the government, to have their say.

The new report said high rates of AIDS mortality will persist in South Africa at least for the next decade, but much depended on the provision of treatment. It forecast that if 50 percent of people with AIDS were given treatment, then by 2010 approximately 388,000 AIDS deaths would occur each year.

This compared to approximately 291,000 deaths if 90 percent of people progressing to AIDS started treatment.

The report said approximately 230,000 HIV-infected individuals were receiving antiretroviral treatment by mid-2006, and a further 540,000 were sick with AIDS but not receiving any therapy.

[Prada]

This brewed due to the denial of the south african government that there was ever was "problem" and the WTO protecting Big Pharma

[KAEW44]

Thats just sad it has gotten out of control like that, especially that the rest of the world is not having anywhere near that big of a problem with AIDS.
There needs to be some serious halt in relations and reproduction among the infected community, they have to take one for the world.

[Logan13]

This brewed due to the denial of the south african government that there was ever was "problem" and the WTO protecting Big Pharma

No doubt Prada. I remember a few years back when one of the S. African gov't officials claimed that AIDS was not even real.

[MuscleScience]

its a bad bad deal all the way around. Educating ignorant people in powerful positions would help things tremendously. Its bad when government officials publically state that there is not such thing as HIV or AIDS. Most of the people that are infected dont know they are sick until its way to late. People there now live with it as if its nothing more than catching a cold. I have talked with lots of african students from Kenya and Cameron about these things and they say its even worse than what we hear in the media.

So very sad

[SVTMuscle*]

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...&RS=PN/5676977

[Act of God]

I read an article a few months ago that quantified how much money pharma companies make per aids patient over their individual lifetime. The amount was staggering. The article posed the idea that they have more to gain by not finding a cure for aids, which would only make one company rich.

I'll try to find it, but it was a while ago.

Letting people die FTL

[Ufa]

Edit

[meathead320]

Africa has an AIDS problem. Not just South Africa, but all of Sub Sahara Africa has a problem.

The worst part is that it is a GROWING problem. It is spread via a geometric progression.

At the rate that the % infected is growing, it will eventualy be a very very small minority that is not infected. As little as 1/10th of a %, maybe LESS.

We could be looking at a major population crash in the next 200 years. The entire continent could see a 99.9% population drop.

That is a virtual human extinction on the continent.

All because of one disease that no one is willing to find a cure too.

That is MORBID, but a potential future.

As to advice to any one who wants to go there to help, all I can say is, DON'T STICK YOUR DICK IN ANYTHING, it could kill you.

[Prada]

No doubt Prada. I remember a few years back when one of the S. African gov't officials claimed that AIDS was not even real.

Yup incredible is it not? When you dont even acknowledge or recognize that you have a problem first, dont expect aid from others. I can understand it is taboo but their indifference(govt of SA) and lack of taking responsibility. Misinforming the masses led to the death of thousands. The percentage of aids inflicted individuals is astronomical

[meathead320]

Yeah, they must have been right.

After all, if you ignore a problem, it just goes away.

[singern]

What ever the reason for the tragic epidemic happening in Africa, they need and deserve our help. Whether its Medical, Educational, or economic. This is exactly the reason the United Nations was created, but I dont see even minimal effort on there part.