A child born in Zambia or Zimbabwe tonight is more likely than not to die of AIDS . In many other African countries, the lifetime risk of dying of AIDS is greater than one in three. This fire is spreading. The global death toll will soon surpass the worst epidemics of recorded history. And unlike those prior plagues, AIDS could well remain with us for decades to come.
Combustion is fearfully fast.
In South Africa, the prevalence rate grew tenfold in five years. Tragically, mass killers are nothing new in Africa. Malaria still claims about as many African lives as AIDS does, and preventable childhood diseases kill millions of others. From a public health standpoint, AIDS has added a grave new challenge to what was already an arduous agenda. But what sets AIDS apart is its unprecedented impact on development .