Budget cuts undermining SADC HIV/AIDS goals as HIV rates remain high

While there has been a significant decline, the World Health Organization reports that countries in the Southern Africa region still have notable HIV rates, including Botswana (15.75%), South Africa (14.75%), and Namibia (8.9%). This area has grappled with the HIV/AIDS epidemic for many years. Moreover, UNAIDS highlights that the worst-affected countries are contiguous to one another in the lower part of the continent, encompassing South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe having prevalence rates above 30 percent. The Population Reference Bureau notes that despite sub-Saharan Africa making up only about 11 percent of the world’s population, it remains the global epicenter of HIV/AIDS.