ZIMBABWE: AIDS Toll Leaves Nearly a Million Orphans in Zimbabwe

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

ZIMBABWE: AIDS Toll Leaves Nearly a Million Orphans in Zimbabwe

Associated Press (12.20.04) - Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Almost 1 million children in Zimbabwe are AIDS orphans, having lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS-related illnesses, UNICEF said Monday. In its annual State of the World's Children report, UNICEF noted children as young as nine have become primary caregivers to siblings or to HIV-infected parents or relatives in Zimbabwe, where an estimated 26 percent of the 12.5 million population has HIV/AIDS. Government officials acknowledge the actual number may be even higher, since many conditions are not reported as HIV-related due to stigma.

AIDS orphans are dropping out of school, often suffer from malnutrition, and are "more likely to be involved in hazardous forms of labor" including prostitution, said Festo Kavishe, UNICEF's chief official in Harare.

According to the report, the social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe are illustrated by the decline in life expectancy from age 52 to 37 since 1990. The country is facing its worst economic crisis since independence, marked by high unemployment and soaring prices.

Public-health services in Zimbabwe are virtually nonexistent. Of the estimated 2,000 people who die weekly from AIDS-related illnesses, most are unable to afford treatment and are typically sent home to die after brief hospitalization. The country is suffering acute shortages of hard currency and essential imports such as medicines.
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