Document Type
Article
Abstract
The adoption of both the biomedical and socio-behavioral approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention in sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in a significant drop in mortality. However, there is a need to take into account and address the structural inequalities of limited access to employment, education, and affordable health care; gender disparity, poverty and the disease environment in order to accelerate the tempo of this decline. Applying the social inequality framework, and using the various Inequality-adjusted Human Development indices (IHDI) by the Atkinson index, a descriptive analysis of data from the statistical annex to the 2011 UNDP Development Report was undertaken to factor in the impact of the identified structural inequalities on potential human development. The analysis reveals that the computed measures, in the absence of inequality, reflect essentially, potential human development (HDI) at comparatively low levels. Notably, when the HDI values are adjusted for inequalities, the magnitude of the overall loss in human development appears substantial in the region. Hence, the observed magnitude of loss in the basic dimensions of human development has serious policy implications in terms of Africa’s ability to attain its full human development potential in the backdrop of the exacerbating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Recommended Citation
Wogugu, Manfred
(2015)
"Human Development and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa,"
Great Plains Sociologist: Vol. 25:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/greatplainssociologist/vol25/iss1/2