In some impoverished communities, high HIV infection rates may be partly explained by early sexual initiation, consensual or coerced. 6 One study of adolescents in 17 African countries showed that those with more education were far more likely to experience casual sex and to use condoms for casual sex when compared to less educated youth. Some faith traditions in Africa teach that AIDS is a shameful disease and a punishment for those who have been sexually promiscuous, and many adults are reluctant to admit to a disease that seems to imply promiscuity. 3 One study showed three quarters of Nigerian Christian leaders believe that AIDS is a divine punishment. 3 Poverty and HIV transmission are linked in a variety of ways.
Poverty often leads to prostitution or to trading sexual favors for material goods.
Young women may be especially vulnerable due to societal practices that deny them education and work opportunities. Poverty also leads to poor nutrition and a weakened immune system, making poor people more susceptible to tuberculosis and to STDs. The costs of providing treatment for people with AIDS drains resources from education, agriculture, and other domains important to gross national product. In sub-Saharan Africa nearly eight million children, ages 14 and under, had been orphaned by AIDS by the end of 1997. Many of these youth must drop out of school.