AIDS - Is It a Risk to Economic Development in Regions with Low HIV Prevalence?

HIV and AIDS in South Asia: An Economic Development Risk, a new book edited by Markus Haacker and Mariam Claeson, offers an original perspective on HIV and AIDS as a development issue in a region with a low HIV prevalence and concentrated epidemics. Although the impact of HIV and AIDS on economic growth appears to be very small, three major risks to development are associated with HIV and AIDS in South Asia: the risk of escalating concentrated epidemics, the economic welfare costs, and the fiscal costs of scaling up treatment.

This event, on April 20, 2009, was held at the World Bank and featured Mariam Claeson, Program Coordinator, South Asia Regional AIDS Team, World Bank and Mead Over, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development. Discussants included Robert Clay, Director, The Office of HIV/AIDS, USAID and Debrework Zewdie, Director, Global AIDS Unit, World Bank. Julie McLaughlin, Sector Manager, Health, Nutrition, and Population, South Asia Region, World Bank, moderated the event.

Click here for a webcast of the event.