AIDS in Africa: socio-economic determinants and development impact

Although Africa is already entering its second decade with AIDS, the spread of HIV has not been stopped. This is partly because prevention and control efforts have focused upon quick, easy to implement technical solutions. The social, economic, and development determinants instead need to be assessed and technical efforts better focused. The UNDP Human Development Index and Human Poverty Index are highly sensitive to the impact of AIDS. It needs to be understood and incorporated into prevention efforts and plans for the future that a country's social and economic status will affect the spread of HIV. In turn, AIDS will have demographic, social, and economic consequences. The authors consider the socioeconomic correlates and causes of HIV, biomedical factors, sexual behaviors, the socioeconomic environment, macro factors, interventions, explaining and predicting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the epidemic's impact upon development.