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AIDS is the most serious in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Swaziland. In these countries, a total of about 1700 people become HIV positive daily. Most African governments are come together and trying their best to do what they can in terms of keeping the outbreak in control. However, there isn't that much that they can do. .
A big problem for African countries is their lack of money and resources to pay for the expensive drug medications that slows the disease. Africans need these drugs desperately; yet they have little money to conduct research or pay for currently available drugs. Drugs such as AZT can limit the risk of transferring HIV to the fetus through birth, being one third of the children with AIDS acquire the virus from their infected mothers. .
The majority of people in Africa are not tested for HIV. To make matters worse, the "rapid urbanization of the mobile work force," (Vaccine Weekly) helped to increase the percentage of infected people to up to 50% in some cities. In addition, another reason for the speedy exchange of the disease is the high rate of prostitution. Out of town workers, or laborers looking for a good time who don't exercise safe sex, will often visit these sex vendors. This spreads AIDS unbelievably fast being 9 out of 10 prostitutes are infected with the virus (British Medical Journal). Another reason for such a high rate of HIV/AIDS is that the area lacks contraceptives available to the general population because of cost. Without proper and expensive medical attention many AIDS victims die shortly after being infected. .
In addition to the physical and emotional devastation caused by AIDS, the disease also causes economic damage. It is very hard to estimate the financial repercussions, but there is an estimated 20% decrease in the Saharan average per capita income. Not only has AIDS hurt the African economy as a whole, and for individual businesses, it has nearly quadrupled the cost of life insurance in Zimbabwe and other highly infected countries.