Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Fri, 30 Jun 2000
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QUALITY OF LIFE: AIDS DRAGS DOWN AFRICAN NATIONS' RANKINGS
Twenty-four sub-Saharan African countries, weakened by the AIDS epi-
demic and wars, ranked on the bottom of the list in the United Na-
tion's quality-of-life ratings issued yesterday (Moulson, AP/ Phila-
delphia Inquirer, 6/30).
The Human Development Report ranked 174 countries based on availabil-
ity of schools, clean water, medical care and the ability of resi-
dents to participate in politics (Baltimore Sun, 6/30). Of the 101
nations tracked, all but Zambia have improved their score in the in-
dex since 1975, according to the U.N. Development Program. An addi-
tional 22 countries, mostly in Africa and Eastern Europe, have de-
clined in the human-development ratings since 1990, mostly due to the
AIDS epidemic, economic stagnation and conflict. The report revealed
that after decades of slow progress, the AIDS epidemic and other dis-
eases have now begun to shorten life spans in sub-Saharan Africa,
where few people will live beyond their 40s or 50s. At the other end
of the spectrum, Canada topped the list for the seventh year in a
row, followed by Norway and the United States (AP/Philadelphia In-
quirer, 6/30).
--
Cecilia Snyder
mailto:csnyder@pcdc.org
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