But other African leaders more daring had their turn at the podium. Africa has 70 per cent of the world's HIV sufferers. Africa is the only continent where more women are HIV positive than men. That means a much faster rate of infection among the population at large and among children in particular. The prevalence of infection among women has particularly malign consequences.
Social bonds dissolve.
This will continue. In some African countries, for every teenage boy with AIDS, six teenage girls are infected. In 16 African countries, more than one adult in every 10 has the HIV virus. In Botswana a third of the population is HIV positive. The facts are heartrending.