Study Shows Mounting AIDS Toll in Swaziland

Swaziland's Central Statistical Office reported recently that the kingdom's death rate doubled in a 10-year period - from 7.6 deaths per 1,000 people in 1997 to 18.03 per 1,000 in 2007.

In addition, life expectancy plummeted from 60 years to 43. Among infants younger than one year, the death rate climbed from 78 per 1,000 in 1997 to 107 in 2007. Among children younger than five years, the death rate rose from 106 per 1,000 in 1997 to 167 in 2007. "HIV and AIDS has killed many of our people," said the CSO's Nombulelo Dlamini, adding that without the rollout of AIDS drugs, "deaths in the nation would be reaching alarming proportions."

At almost 40 percent, Swaziland's HIV prevalence is the world's highest, UN figures show.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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