Worldwide, 5.4 million people were newly infected last year with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus which causes Aids. A total 13.2 million children have been orphaned since the disease first spread. Most even blamed witchcraft or a curse for the illness. Its social and economic consequences are felt widely not only in health but also in education, industry, agriculture, transport, human resources and the economy in general. In seven of these, at least one adult in five is infected.
Women are harder hit than men.
The southern African nation of Botswana has the highest rate of infection, with 36 per cent of adults infected. In Zimbabwe, a male who was 15 in 1983 had a 15 per cent chance of dying before reaching his 50th birthday. This likelihood rose to 50 per cent for those turning 15 in 1997. Nearly six out of 10 women under 24 in the South African town of Carletonville tested positive, according to a 1998 study cited by UNAids. In an otherwise grim picture, there are a few success stories.