HIV/AIDS reaches into every corner of society, affecting parents, children and youth, teachers and health workers, rich and poor. It is the leading cause of adult death on the African continent. The percentage of adults infected with HIV ranges from 3 or 4 percent in West African countries to as high as 30 percent in regions of southern Africa.The research program focuses on treatment, transmission and prevention, and socioeconomic impacts of HIV/AIDS
important new report, "HIV and AIDS in South Asia" analyses the extent to which HIV and AIDS pose risks to economic development in the South Asia region. Although HIV prevalence in South Asia is comparatively low, the region faces challenges including the risk of escalation of concentrated epidemics, the heavy economic welfare costs for affected households, and the fiscal burden of scaling up treatment for AIDS.
Part 1 reviews the dynamics of the epidemic, and a chapter on targeted prevention in Afghanistan discusses cost benefits. Part 2 looks at the economic impact of the epidemic and the welfare costs. Part 3 looks at the actual costs of treatment in India and the fiscal implications of scaling up life-long treatment for AIDS in the countries of the region