By Khadija Allen
Africa has a reason to celebrate and it doesn’t come after a whirlwind invite to host the South Africa FIFA World Cup. The number of young people inflicted with the HIV virus has declined in the most hardest hit nations; 16 out of 25 countries in Africa are experiencing fewer cases of HIV-related cases where patients are most infected. The U.N AIDS report conclusively states that the infection rate now stands at least 25 percent in a dozen countries.
For example, Kenya experienced a drop from 14 percent in 2000 to 5.4 among people who are aged 15 to 24. The change is in part to the awareness raised in preventing sexual promiscuity and fewer sex partners to couple with contraceptives as a proper-use method. The agency could not determine whether the drop was because of stricter U.N policies which may have led to more investments in AIDS drugs than preventing infections. Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates on Thursday acknowledged the shift as he plans to comment on the potential investment on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports the cause in Africa.
“Economic woes have limited how much money countries can spend on AIDS, so more must be done to trim administrative costs and make delivering as efficient as possible,” Gates said. Gates’ foundation has raised more than 2.2 million to combat HIV and $650 million to aid the Global Fund that targets AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
