Zambia's AIDS orphans will change the structure of society
Webb, D.
Aids Analysis Africa 6(3): 10-11
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 1016-8974 PMID: 12291108 Document Number: 532476
In Zambia, 10-15% of the rural population and 25-30% of the urban population is infected with HIV. An estimated 500 new people in the country are infected daily with HIV. HIV infection in Zambia is therefore widely disseminated and spreading rapidly. Infection rates are expected to peak in urban areas in 1998 at 28% and in rural areas in 2004 at 22%. AIDS mortality rates continue to increase. As the toll of AIDS mortality mounts, the number of orphans will increase. Indeed, the number of orphans will continue to increase well into the next decade, stabilizing approximately six years after national HIV prevalence rates peak. The number and concentration of orphans are highest in urban and periurban areas. A 1993 national survey determined that 42% of urban households cared for an orphan, compared to 33% in rural areas. In 1995, the national AIDS program estimated that there are 200,000-250,000 orphans and that the total should increase to 550,000-600,000 by the year 2000. 53.9% and 18% of orphans in Zambia are paternal and maternal orphans, respectively. The number of children who have lost both parents will continue to increase. The author discusses the differing living standards of orphans and coping.