[afro-nets] Africans Do Not See AIDS As A Dire Problem

[Dr Rana Jawad Asghar <jawad@alumni.washington.edu>]

Africans Do Not See AIDS As A Dire Problem, Survey Shows
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http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040402/449_22414.asp

Friday, April 2, 2004

Africans do not see AIDS as a dire problem, unlike health ex-
perts, who predict the pandemic will unleash catastrophic conse-
quences on the continent, according to a survey conducted in 15
African countries during 2002-2003 by the Institute for Democ-
racy in South Africa.

According to the study, for which 23,000 adults were inter-
viewed, many Africans, especially in East and southern Africa,
had either lost relatives or friends to the disease or were af-
fected by it in some other way, but many were undecided about
whether their governments should divert resources from other
priorities to fight AIDS.

Many Africans were not even convinced that AIDS warranted gov-
ernment attention, with the exception of those living in Na-
mibia, South Africa or Botswana, the survey said.

The survey also addressed other issues, such as democracy, which
75 percent of respondents supported, and economic reform, which
many Africans believed had made their lives worse, not better
(South African Press Association/SABC News.com, April 1).