Lesotho
HIV was first detected in Lesotho in
1986, and since then, the nation has experienced a dramatic
escalation in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in common with neighboring
countries in southern Africa. Lesotho now has the fourth-highest
rate of HIV prevalence in the world, having risen from
near 4 percent in 1993 to 25 percent in 1999, and to 31
percent by the end of 2001. Nearly one in three Basotho
adults aged 15–49 is now infected with HIV. Life
expectancy at birth is 51 years, but it is declining quickly
as a direct result of HIV/AIDS; some estimates predict
that life expectancy at birth could drop to 37 years in
the next 15 years. The unemployment rate stands at 49 percent
due to recent retrenchments by the mining industry in South
Africa.
Access more information
on USAID's
HIV/AIDS Program in Lesotho, April 2005 [PDF,
219KB]
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