The Economics of AIDS
The Economics of AIDS
This chapter discusses the economic dimensions of HIV and AIDS. In general the poor are more affected by disease than the rich. It is the case for infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and tuberculosis. In the case of AIDS, however, things are different. The association between economic status and the disease seems more complex, probably because sex is the main route of transmission, transgressing classic disease vulnerabilities that are largely determined by social context and access to health services. Whereas the poorest region in the world is sub-Saharan Africa, which is also the region most affected by HIV, the richest subregion, Southern Africa, has the highest HIV infection rate. In severely affected societies, AIDS has an economic impact in terms of human and social capital, households, business, health costs, savings, and investments. The remainder of the chapter covers the macroeconomic impact of AIDS, the increase in AIDS orphans around the world, impact of HIV on productivity and services, financing the AIDS response, and debates over resource allocation related to HIV/AIDS.
Keywords: HIV infection, AIDS orphans, economic drivers, economic impact, finance, resource allocation, sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS macroeconomic impact
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