POPULATION HEALTH and Health Policy
The Social Impact of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa
The potential expansion of the HIV epidemic and its cultural impact in sub-Saharan Africa are vast. Projections under conservative assumptions suggest that the toll of AIDS will reach five million annual deaths by 2010, although the net African population will continue to increase significantly. Cultural practices, including large differences in age between men and women at marriage and a long period of postpartum abstinence, have contributed to the frequency of extramarital relations and eased the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. In response to the spread of AIDS, social adaptations will include profound changes in sexual behavior, marriage customs, and childbearing.
Author(s): Etienne van de Walle
Volume 68, Issue S1
(pages 10–32)
Published in 1990