Productive Age Suffer Hardest AIDS Blow In Botswana. 5/11/09
CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The 2008 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey III reveals that the productive age group of 15-49 has been hit hardest by HIV/AIDS. The survey indicates that the age group accounts for about half of the 20,254 HIV/AIDS-related deaths in Botswana in the past 12 months.
Giving a presentation yesterday at the launch of the findings of the survey at Phakalane Golf Estate, chief demographer, Dr Peter Ubomba-Jaswa said that 9,318 people livening with HIV/AIDS died though they were not sick for more than two months. Another 26 percent of those who died were sick for less than a month.
"Reportedly AIDS accounted for 20.8 percent of the deaths, 25.2 and 16.2 percent in the urban and rural areas respectively. Male deaths made up 57.1 percent," he said.
He said the results revealed that 64.7 percent of all bedridden persons received care and assistance, which came either from hospitals, relatives, community organisations, traditional healers and others.
More than half of bedridden persons aged between 20-59 received care and assistance but it was notable that less than 50 percent of the elderly persons were given care and assistance. Ubomba-Jaswa said about 75 percent of households with children living with bedridden parents or guardians did not receive help or support.
He said the results indicate that 84 percent of the bedridden persons received free medicine, 33 percent received counselling and 22.9 percent received extra-food. In the level of assistance given, 37.1 percent reported they were very satisfied while 30 percent said they are not.
Ubomba-Jaswa said there was an estimated combined single and double orphans of 111,567 making 16.2 percent of children aged 0-17 years. He stated that children who have lost both parents numbered 21, 990 and three percent of the children population in the country. Children who lost only their father constituted the majority of the orphans at 67,653 out of the total of 111, 567. Ubomba-Jaswa said as children grow-up, they are likely to be orphaned.
The first preliminary report of the survey was released in May this year. The government statistics office said it was happy that the final report is consistent with the preliminary one.