This image shows the
number of African children orphaned by AIDS in 200 and 2010
AIDS is a fairy recent phenomenon, one that is now known to
have started in
Africa after scientists identified a strain of Simian
Immunodeficiency Virus in Cameroon chimpanzee colonies
~ SIV
being a 'viral ancestor' of the HIV-1 virus that causes AIDS in
humans. AIDS was first transferred to humans in the 1930s with
HIV-2 being identified as migrating to humans in Guinea-Bissau
during the 1940s.
At this stage AIDS was still a relatively unknown virus and even
by the 1960s only around 200 infections had been noted, though
possibly the figure was somewhat higher as medical staff were
not fully aware of its existence.
However in the 1970s, the virus entered the urban social network
after a solitary infected individual travelled down the River
Congo from Cameroon and arrived at the Democratic Republic of
Congo's capital city, Kinshasa.
A tragedy of epidemic proportions was about to begin; an
epidemic that was sweep across Africa claiming the lives of
the equivalent of the entire combined populations of London
and New York by 2007. Children in Africa become infected with AIDS for very much
the same reasons as all children throughout the world, however
certain cultural issues and practices in Africa has made the
spread more endemic. Firstly, a lack of education and awareness
amongst parents and children is a major contributory factor,
particularly street children who are out of education and often
sexually exploited by infected adults.
Although direct sexual contact is not a major factor in AIDS
transmission, in certain countries such as Lesotho
30% of boys report that they have had sex before the age of
15yrs compared with 6% in developed countries. Such sex is often
with older, unprotected partners. By far, most children in
Africa with AIDS are infected through their mother either during
pregnancy or by breastfeeding. The table below gives facts and
figures for children living with AIDS for each country in Africa.
Country
Child population (0 -17yrs)
Number of children (0-14yrs)
infected
Orphaned by AIDS (0-17yrs)
Algeria
11,712,000
No data
No data
Angola
9,405.000
17,000
50,000
Benin
4,309,000
5,400
29,000
Botswana
778,000
15,000
95,000
Burkina Faso
8,043,000
10,000
100,000
Burundi
3,733,000
15,000
120,000
Cameroon
9,142,000
45,000
300,000
Cape Verde
221,000
No data
No data
Central African Republic
2,061,000
14,000
72,000
Chad
5,724,000
19,000
85,000
Comoros
293,000
No data
No data
Congo, DR
39,000,000
43,000
320,000
Congo, Republic
1,716,000
6,600
69,000
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
9,768,000
52,000
420,000
Djibouti
371,000
1,100
5,000
Egypt
31,527,000
No data
No data
Equatorial Guinea
317,000
No data
5,000
Eritrea
2,368,000
3,100
18,000
Ethiopia
41,018,000
92,000
650,000
Gabon
633,000
2,300
18,000
Gambia
811,000
No data
3,000
Ghana
10.585,000
17,000
160,000
Guinea
4,872,000
6,300
25,000
Guinea-Bissau
769,000
1,500
6,000
Kenya
19,182,000
No data
No data
Lesotho
954,000
12,000
110,000
Liberia
1,878,000
3,100
15,000
Libya
2,220,000
No data
No data
Madagascar
9,571,000
No data
3,000
Malawi
7,900,000
91,000
550,000
Mali
6,507,000
9,400
44,000
Mauritania
1,489,000
No data
3,000
Mauritius
361,000
No data
No data
Morocco
11,030,000
No data
No data
Mozambique
11,315,000
100,000
400,000
Namibia
946,000
14,000
66,000
Niger
8,429,000
3,200
25,000
Nigeria
74,519,000
220,000
1,200.000
Rwanda
4,757,000
19,000
220,000
Sao Tome and Principe
77,000
No data
No data
Senegal
6,198,000
3,100
8,000
Seychelles
43,000
No data
No data
Sierra Leone
2,753,000
4,000
16,000
Somalia
4,562,000
No data
9,000
South Africa
18,286,000
280,000
1,400,000
Sudan
19,098,000
25,000
No data
Swaziland
561,000
15,000
56,000
Tanzania
21,777,000
140,000
970,000
Togo
3,032,000
10,000
68,000
Tunisia
3,004,000
No data
No data
Uganda
17,728,000
130,000
1,200,000
Western Sahara
No data
No data
No data
Zambia
6,686,000
95,000
600,000
Zimbabwe
6.024,000
120,000
1,000,000
The map above shows
the prevalence of AIDS in Africa with a greater density as you progress down
the continent to the south with the largely Muslim north having the lowest
level of AIDS in Africa.
Table (left) Source: Unicef: Last comparative figures available from 2007. Updated when new data becomes available.
