AIDS/Other AIDS/Other DiseasesDiseases

Sub-Saharan Africa

CholeraCholera• Inadequate sanitation and lack of a

clean water supply can lead to cholera – an infection that is often fatal if not treated

• In 2000-2001, widespread flooding caused some cases of cholera in Mozambique, but international relief efforts prevented a widespread outbreak

MalariaMalaria• Mosquitos carrying malaria – an

infectious disease marked by chills and fevers that is often fatal – are common in African countries

• The disease has become resistant to standard drugs because of overuse of those drugs in treating the disease during the past several decades

AIDSAIDS• AIDS – acquired immune deficiency

syndrome• HIV – human immunodeficiency virus• AIDS is often accompanied by

tuberculosis – a respiratory infection spread between humans

• 70% of the world’s adult AIDS cases and 80% of the world’s children with AIDS are in African nations

AIDSAIDS• In 2000, AIDS took the lives of 3 million

people worldwide, and of that 3 million, 2.4 million lived in sub-Saharan Africa

• In 2000, nearly 26 million people in Africa were living with either HIV or AIDS

• It is estimated that 2/3 of HIV/AIDS cases reported globally are in Africa

• The 21 countries worldwide with the highest HIV prevalence are in Africa

Economic Impact of Economic Impact of AIDSAIDS

• People who are sick work less or not at all, earn less, and thus are pushed further into poverty

• AIDS patients’ medical care is expensive • UNAIDS – program that studies the

world’s AIDS epidemic• UNAIDS estimates that $4.63 billion will

be needed to fight AIDS in Africa

Nations RespondNations Respond

• To fight malaria and other insect-borne diseases, African nations have used spraying programs since the 1930s to reduce insects

• Some African countries, such as Gabon, are fighting disease by improving their health care systems