AIDS in Africa: the implications of economic recession and structural adjustment

Very little has been written about the socio-economic context of the spread of AIDS in Africa. The focus of this paper will therefore be on those socio-economic factors, historical and current, predisposing to the spread of HIV infection, as well as on the aggravation of these factors by economic recession and structural adjustment programmes (SAPs). The first part of this paper examines the epidemiological factors -both biological and social - in the transmission of HIV in Africa; the second addresses the likely impact of the economic recession and SAPs on HIV transmission and control and the implications for current and future policies; the third and final section reviews the social, economic and health sector impact of AIDS in Africa.