HIV/AIDS is a fairly new discovery for the modern world, even in the 11 countries with the highest HIV rates in the world. Moving on from the 11 countries with the highest rates of diabetes in the world, this time we will take a look at one of the hardest problems to crack in modern medicine. Thought to have been transferred to humans by various primates, the HIV virus was first observed in the very early 1980s in the USA. While studying the incidence of a certain type of pneumonia which develops in people with a highly dysfunctional immune system, scientists began noticing a pattern among them. However, it wasn’t before a concerning number of patient groups started exhibiting similar rare conditions without any history of related disease that these scientists became interested in the cause behind them. Unfortunately, one of the demographics which first witnessed the spreading of HIV was the homosexual men. While drug addicts who shared needles or used contaminated ones were nonetheless affected by the spreading of the disease, homosexual men were dubbed the source and bearers of HIV and AIDS by the then largely ignorant society. In the early days of battling the disease, it was shortly named GRID or gay-related immune deficiency.
However, it wasn’t long before professionals noticed the disease was not isolated within the gay community. AIDS was spreading to people not affiliated with any sort of alternative sexual orientations or harmful lifestyle. Then it was also observed that there was the passing on of HIV from a mother to her child. Not long after the classifying of the HIV virus and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, treatment began to be worked on. However, this proved to be a daunting task. Even with our medical advances nowadays, we still haven’t found a way to cure AIDS or prevent the transfer of HIV effectively. However, with proper medication and lifestyle, the disease can be managed to an impressive extent.
Let’s take a look at the list of the 11 countries with the highest HIV rates in the world, calculated by estimating what percent of the population has it.
11. Kenya
Kenya takes the eleventh place on the list with just above six percent of the population above fifteen years old being at least a carrier of HIV. Kenya is the fourth most abundant in infected people country if we don’t consider the population as a limit.
10. Uganda
Uganda takes the tenth place on the list with more than seven percent of the population above fifteen years old being at least a carrier of HIV or suffering from AIDS.
9. Malawi
While being nowhere near the most HIV carrier populous nation, Malawi takes the ninth place on the list with a percentile slightly greater than ten of the population above fifteen years old having HIV/AIDS.
8. Mozambique
Mozambique makes the eight contender on this list with a little above eleven percent of its population suffering from the disease at this point.Mozambique is the fifth in the sheer number of infected people per country in the world.
7. Zambia
Zambia takes the seventh spot on the list of the 11 countries with the highest HIV rates in the world with about twelve and a half percent of the population being infected.
6. Namibia
The rates worsen as we go over to Namibia, where at least thirteen percent of the population are carriers of the virus or have developed AIDS.
5. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe takes the fifth spot, halfway through the list. The country currently has about fifteen percent of its population suffering from HIV/AIDS.
4. South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is battling one of its biggest problems – AIDS. Making the fourth highest rates in the world, it has more than nineteen percent of its population infected. Statistically, South Africa is the country with the biggest number of infected people.
3. Lesotho
Lesotho is close to the top of the list but not quite there yet. However, statistics are showing a slight worsening in the rates, which currently are at just above twenty-three percent.
2. Botswana
Botswana takes the second place with a slightly higher rate than Lesotho and a very similar situation. However, Botswana takes the twenty-second place in terms of number of infected people.
1. Swaziland
Swaziland tops the list of the 11 countries with the highest HIV rates in the world with more than a quarter of its population being a carrier of the virus or suffering from the syndrome.
