Aids an economic time bomb, says Sanlam

[dArKeR]

Thabang Mokopanele

Sanlam (SLM), South Africa's second largest financial services group, on Tuesday warned that the HIV/Aids pandemic is not only a human tragedy but also an economic time bomb that poses a major threat to the profitability of companies countrywide.

This warning is based on the findings of Sanlam's biennial survey on retirement benefits in South Africa. Sanlam employee benefits actuary Danie van Zyl says the survey shows that employers are increasingly becoming aware of the disturbingly high cost of HIV/Aids on their profits.

"Although the financial consequences for employers are the less visible impact of the HIV/Aids pandemic, these can be measured in lost productivity, absenteeism, recruitment, and the cost of training replacements that have to take place of staff lost as a result of the disease. Some health management consultants estimates this cost to be as high as 5% of salary in some cases," Van Zyl says.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=117626

[clonebot]

1. aids vs malaria

why is it that while malaria is actually the larger killer on the african continent and probaly easier to eradicate than aids, aids/hiv always gets the most attention?

i suspect its due to its far reaching potential. westerners won't catch malaria over here but we can catch aids so who gives a s*** about malaria and those africans? i am a strong supporter of enviornmentalism but sometimes western models for conservation and enviornmentalism don't always work in other parts of the world. they cant use ddt over there thanks in part to the enviornmentalist movement yet a little bit would go a long way to combating malaria.

its really quite frustrating.

[NickB79]

3. It has to do with the types of people afflicted

Malaria usually kills the very young, the elderly, or those already sickened by other diseases (such as AIDS). HIV/AIDS usually kills people in the prime of their lives, the young and healthy workers who keep the economy going. Malaria may kill more people annually in Africa, but the death of the young workers has more far-reaching and potentially devastating effects than the loss of children and the elderly. You kill off the schoolteachers, the police officers, the farmers that produce the food, and you have a situation where many more will die because of events put into motion by AIDS.

[section321]

2. AIDS is a huge problem in Southern Africa.

Just look at Botswana (next country to the north of South Africa). Thrity years of prudent governance and economic growth are imperiled by AIDS.

The population is on the verge of shrinking and the working age, educated people are bearing the brunt of the onslaught. Negative population growth is a huge impact.


South Africa is not in this situation yet, but they are headed there.