HIV/AIDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Southern Africa is the worst HIV/AIDS affected region in the world. The illness, highly accelerated by the regions extreme poverty, has claimed millions of lives during the last two decades. To this day, approximately 12.3 million children have been orphaned as a result of the illness, and this number is expected to increase substantially during the next decade.

In 2002 the number of HIV/AIDS infected children in southern Africa was estimated to 2.78 million. 550.000 died and about 810.000 children contracted the infection during that same year. Many of these children and adults will die due to lack of professional healthcare and ARV's (Antiretroviral treatment – reduces the progress of the HIV virus).