How much HIV?

When I was on one of my safaris, two Australian women asked me if I thought the numbers of AIDS in Africa was exaggerated because the numbers were extraordinary.

No. The numbers are not exaggerated. They are underestimated. I see many patients, particularly children that we are highly suspicious but they either leave the hospital or die before the diagnosis is made. It takes a very long time to make the diagnosis in children here. And many adults are not tested even though it is likely they are positive. Husbands will forbid their wives from getting tested, threatening divorce. I have talked to women who this is true. Patients will run away from the hospital when pushed to get the test in these situations.

Cooper was a 4 month old baby who was admitted weighing only 5kg. I say was because he died yesterday afternoon. Cooper's mother died 2.5 months ago of "unknown causes". The only thing the family would say was she had been losing weight, was very skinny, and had a fever for 3 weeks with a cough before she died. Cooper was a classic HIV baby. We ordered the HIV test, but DBS would not be back for weeks. Yesterday he started having difficulty breathing and then just stopped. He is one of hundreds I have seen here.

So the answer is no....it is not exaggerated.
38.2 million estimated in the world
1.1 million (15%) in Zambia #7 highest rate in the world
0.9 million (0.6%) in USA #69 highest rate in the world