Diseases Including HIV/AIDS Create ‘Poverty Trap’ in Africa, NPR Series Reports
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Thursday as part of a series examining factors impeding economic and social development in Africa looked at how diseases -- including HIV/AIDS -- are "part of the poverty trap in Africa." According to NPR, HIV/AIDS, which "wipes out some of the most productive members of society in the prime of their lives," is one of several health problems "plaguing" the continent. According to Jon Liden, a spokesperson for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Africa's health care systems are unable to handle residents' numerous medical problems. Clinics often do not have enough equipment or funding, and there is a shortage of medical professionals, NPR reports. Foreign aid also is needed to build health care infrastructure and programs, according to Liden. The NPR segment also includes comments from a Swazi woman who is HIV-positive and living with TB and a Swazi man who has lost several family members to AIDS-related illnesses (Beaubien, "Morning Edition," NPR, 10/12). A transcript of the segment is available online. The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer. The NPR series is available online.
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