HIV 'afflicting global workforce'
More than a million jobs are being lost every year from the spread of HIV/Aids, research has revealed, the bulk of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
The virus has had a crippling effect on the workforce of many countries, the International Labour Organization said in a report done for World Aids Day.
The spread of HIV among children was threatening future working generations.
The ILO called for sustained action to improve access to antiretroviral (AVR) treatments to cut mortality rates.
Stunting growth
Without this, it estimates that the cumulative loss to the global workforce from the virus could rise 45 million by 2010 and almost double again by 2020.
ILO estimates that more than 36 million people of working age are now living with the virus, the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa.
This has had a damaging effect on the availability of labour in the worst affected countries and has stunted economic growth.
The ILO conducted research into the impact of the virus on 43 countries with some of the highest rates of infection in the world.
More than 70% of these countries were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Based on its findings, it has estimated that 1.3 million new jobs have been lost every year between 1992 and 2004 because of the virus.
This, in turn, reduced annual economic growth by an average of 0.5% over the period and 0.7% for sub-Saharan countries.
"HIV/Aids is adding an enormous burden to countries struggling to emerge from poverty," said Odile Frank, one of the report's authors.
"We need more employment opportunities for people with HIV/Aids and an end to discrimination against people with the virus to help them to secure work."
Treatment imperative
More than two million children around the world are now living with Aids while those aged 15-24 account for half of new infections.
The ILO said many children were forced to seek employment because they were living in extreme poverty, while their parents had either died from Aids or were too sick to work.
The rise in child labour is reducing educational standards and making it harder for children to get productive jobs when reaching working age.
Other children found themselves working in unregulated industries such as the sex trade which exposed them to being infected.
The ILO said increased access to ARV treatments could significantly reduce the impact on the global workforce.
"The prospect of averting between one-fifth and one-quarter of potential new losses to the labour force should serve as a powerful incentive to target the workplace as a major entry point to achieve universal access to ARVs," the report concluded.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6197074.stm
The virus has had a crippling effect on the workforce of many countries, the International Labour Organization said in a report done for World Aids Day.
The spread of HIV among children was threatening future working generations.
The ILO called for sustained action to improve access to antiretroviral (AVR) treatments to cut mortality rates.
Stunting growth
Without this, it estimates that the cumulative loss to the global workforce from the virus could rise 45 million by 2010 and almost double again by 2020.
ILO estimates that more than 36 million people of working age are now living with the virus, the vast majority in sub-Saharan Africa.
This has had a damaging effect on the availability of labour in the worst affected countries and has stunted economic growth.
The ILO conducted research into the impact of the virus on 43 countries with some of the highest rates of infection in the world.
More than 70% of these countries were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Based on its findings, it has estimated that 1.3 million new jobs have been lost every year between 1992 and 2004 because of the virus.
This, in turn, reduced annual economic growth by an average of 0.5% over the period and 0.7% for sub-Saharan countries.
"HIV/Aids is adding an enormous burden to countries struggling to emerge from poverty," said Odile Frank, one of the report's authors.
"We need more employment opportunities for people with HIV/Aids and an end to discrimination against people with the virus to help them to secure work."
Treatment imperative
More than two million children around the world are now living with Aids while those aged 15-24 account for half of new infections.
The ILO said many children were forced to seek employment because they were living in extreme poverty, while their parents had either died from Aids or were too sick to work.
The rise in child labour is reducing educational standards and making it harder for children to get productive jobs when reaching working age.
Other children found themselves working in unregulated industries such as the sex trade which exposed them to being infected.
The ILO said increased access to ARV treatments could significantly reduce the impact on the global workforce.
"The prospect of averting between one-fifth and one-quarter of potential new losses to the labour force should serve as a powerful incentive to target the workplace as a major entry point to achieve universal access to ARVs," the report concluded.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6197074.stm
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 10:55 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home