Economic+Impact+of+AIDS+in+Swaziland

AIDS has a major economic impact on all countries in Africa due to the severity of the disease, and the inevitable fatality that comes from it. In Swaziland, labor is one thing that really takes a beating from the effects of AIDS. Young adults have been suffering a great deal, many of them being infected with AIDS. With all of the people infected, there are less workers which effects the overall economic output of the country. Many citizens of Swaziland work in the agricultural sector, and due to the spread of AIDS, the amount of workers is quickly decreasing.
 * Economic Impact of AIDS: **

Not only does AIDS have an effect on the labor supply in Swaziland, but it effects individual families economically as well. When one of the adults, or the member of the family that makes money contracts HIV, there is a loss of income for the family, as well as an increase in medical expenses, and girls tend to miss a lot of school due to the need for someone to care for the patient in the family. AIDS, unfortunately, always results in death for the person infected, so when a death occurs in a family due to AIDS, there is a permanent loss of income in some cases, loss of labor on farms, and the extraction of children from school to make up for the labor that has been lost. Approximately 90% of AIDS victims in Swaziland are between the ages of 15 and 49, so there are very significant losses of income in many families.

Agriculture is the largest sector in most African economies, and is the quickest to be effected by a loss of workers. When there are fewer workers, many farmers will switch to less labor intensive crops. This means that they will be farming solely for food purposes, not necessarily for exporting purposes. This effects the production of cash crops, which has a major impact on the economy. Other economic sectors are impacted by AIDS as well. The health sector has been a victim to the spread of AIDS as well. More and more people are needing medical attention, but there are not always enough doctors or space in hospitals for all of these patients. Also, medical attention for AIDS patients are generally much more expensive than medical attention for less serious matters. It was estimated that over half of the hospital beds in the country would be occupied by AIDS patients. By the year 2006, there was an estimated annual health care cost of E73.4 in Swaziland. Another sector that is impacted is the mining sector. In many countries, mining is a key source of foreign exchange for many countries in Africa. Highly trained mining engineers are very difficult to replace, so AIDS can severely threaten mining. Overall, in every aspect and sector of the economy, AIDS has a huge effect on the money the country and its civilians make.