The HIV/AIDS epidemic has the potential to impede and even reverse development if not addressed early enough. Poverty and income inequality have been shown to facilitate the diffusion of HIV epidemics. While abject poverty in the Middle East and North Africa region remains low, a significant proportion of the population (23.2%) live under $2 per day and are extremely vulnerable in their ability to cope with shocks. In order to preserve the benefits of national and regional development investments put in place by governments, and donor agencies, greater investments to improve HIV/AIDS advocacy, information and prevention strategies are needed now to maintain the current low prevalence levels. This title outlines the role of the Bank in confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region based on a review of needs and gaps at the regional and country level.
Despite global progress in understanding the epidemiology of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), knowledge about the epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains limited and subject to much controversy. In the more than 25 years since the discovery of HIV, no scientific study has provided a comprehensive, data-driven synthesis of the spread of HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in the region. Consequently, the effectiveness of policies, programs, and resources intended to address the spread of HIV/AIDS has been compromised. This report aims to fill the knowledge gap by providing the first-ever comprehensive scientific assessment and data-driven epidemiological synthesis of HIV's spread in MENA. It is based on a literature review and analysis of thousands of largely unrecognized publications, reports, and data sources extracted from scientific literature or collected from sources at the local, national, and regional levels. The resulting collection of data provides a solid foundation on which efforts to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS can be based. 'Characterizing the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the Middle East and North Africa' will be of particular interest to policy makers, researchers, development practitioners, and specialists in public health and epidemiology.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic has the potential to impede and even reverse development if not addressed early enough. Poverty and income inequality have been shown to facilitate the diffusion of HIV epidemics. While abject poverty in the Middle East and North Africa region remains low, a significant proportion of the population (23.2%) live under $2 per day and are extremely vulnerable in their ability to cope with shocks. In order to preserve the benefits of national and regional development investments put in place by governments, and donor agencies, greater investments to improve HIV/AIDS advocacy, information and prevention strategies are needed now to maintain the current low prevalence levels. This title outlines the role of the Bank in confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region based on a review of needs and gaps at the regional and country level.
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