The PLAGUE of the 20th Century The African Continent and AIDS

GET THE FACTS n AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. n It is a disease caused by a virus called HIV.

GET THE FACTS n AIDS attacks a the immune system, making the body unable to fight even the smallest infection.

GET THE FACTS n Nobody knows exactly how AIDS got started, or how it will end. n There is no cure for AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n Out of all the continents on earth, Africa has suffered the most from AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n More than 28 Million people in Africa alone are infected the HIV, the virus that causes the disease AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n In 2003, 25 million children are expected to be orphaned because of AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n By this time tomorrow, 5,500 Africans will die of AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n About 1.5 million children are infected with AIDS.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n The NUMBER ONE means of AIDS transmission in African is from mother to child in childbirth.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n Approximately 70% of all the world’s AIDS victims live in Africa.

THE AFRICAN PROBLEM n In Botswana 38.8 % of adults are now infected with HIV. n In South Africa 20.1% of adults are infected with HIV. South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world.

WHAT CAN BE DONE? n Africa receives 12.7 billion dollars in foreign aid each year. n Africa spends 14.5 billion each year to repay debts. n Africa falls nearly 2 billion dollars in debt every year.

WHAT CAN BE DONE? n If each citizen of the world’s industrialized nations donated one dollar and seventy cents each year, Africa’s debt would be cancelled.

WHAT CAN BE DONE? n Today - in the next 24 hours - 5,500 Africans will die of AIDS. Today in childbirth, 1,400 African mothers will pass HIV to their newborns. If this isn’t an emergency, what is? - Bono