HIV and development.

BACKGROUND: Epidemics of disease are milestones in the history of humanity, nodes in the web of causes and consequences which shape the development of societies. HIV has been with us for long enough to reveal global patterns of distribution which can be linked to currently accepted indicators of social development. Its highest prevalence is found in poor societies, societies in turmoil, among the displaced, the powerless, and the marginalized. The prevalence of HIV is an indicator of uneven or dysfunctional social development. DISCUSSION: How HIV will affect the development of nations is difficult to predict. A major impact on national macro-economic indicators such as gross national product is unlikely. The most important social and economic effect of the epidemic in developing countries will be an increasing gap between rich and poor, and the feminization of poverty.