[GreeniFi]

In 2002, I was back in my hometown after some years away. By then they estimated that HIV infection was running at 1/3 of the population. I had a job that took me most days to the local cemetery, and was harrowed by the next round of graves freshly dug, most three foot long. I imagine you can guess why they were so short. And if that sounds angry, it is anger - still - but not directed at you, OP. I went to the hospital on one occasion to see the child of a friend, a little boy called AK, draw his last breath. His name was a reference to the machine gun; a child of a revolution I didn’t understand.

I’m not sure why I write this. I never really spoke of it before. I think I found your comment deeply moving.

[divbzero]

Your story is heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing. I would love to learn more about your hometown and hope it has fared better since 2002.

[JordanFarmer]

Sorry... Trying to understand. Are you saying that all these little kids died of aids? How did they contract it? Most kids are 3 feet tall by age three or four. Also, why so many deaths in 2002? Very effective drugs had been widely available for a long time.

[masklinn]

> Most kids are 3 feet tall by age three or four. Also, why so many deaths in 2002? Very effective drugs had been widely available for a long time.

Effective HIV suppression is not cheap, and usually out of reach of developing countries or poor communities such as… pretty much all of sub-saharan africa, where the AIDS pandemic remains essentially unchecked.

According to wikipedia, as of 2016, 8 countries had more than 10% of the population infected and two of them (Swaziland / Eswatini and Lesotho) were above 25%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Africa#/media/File...

Given mother-to-child transmission is somewhere between 15 and 45% without mitigation measures (which are unlikely to be in place in a country where a quarter of the population is infected), we're talking 5~10% of children born infected.

[ReptileMan]

Kids got it trough birth/breastfeeding.

Combine that with AK, 2002 - I would guess somewhere in the southern half of Africa.

I guess that it was combination of medicine not being cheap and IIRC some political leaders in the region were downplaying HIV by that time.

[bobthemover]

Also corruption, ideology and ignorance.

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/the-virodene...