Is HIV/AIDS epidemic outcome of poverty in sub-saharan Africa?
Undisputable fact is that 14000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa are being infected daily with HIV and 11000 are dying every day due to HIV/AIDS related illnesses. In this region more than 60% of the people live below UN poverty line of US$ 1 per day. Some studies have shown that poverty and HIV infection are in correlation, but none has shown whether HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa is an outcome of poverty. This article, therefore, shows that HIV is an important outcome of poverty, with sexual trade, migration, polygamy, and teenage marriages as its predictors in the Sub Saharan region. I used the examples of 20 countries with the highest poverty level in the region to demonstrate the gravity of the HIV scourge, using the data from different international databases.
Mbirimtengerenji
Noel Dzimnenani
ND
Department of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. nmbirimtengerenji@yahoo.co.uk
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D021841:Safe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data