The country that has suffered enormous losses at the hands of HIV/AIDS is experiencing a dip in the number of deaths due to heightened funding, more effective medical care and steadily rising international aid.
According to a United Nations report released to Reuters on Monday, the rate of HIV infection, along with the number of deaths by AIDS, has lowered significantly, thanks to broadened treatment. In Swaziland, about one-fourth of the adult population, including 40 percent of mothers, are infected with HIV/AIDS. That makes the South African country a nation with extremely high rates of incidents. From the 1990s until 2012, the epidemic became so great that the average age of death in the country of around 1.4 million people plunged from 60 years old to 49.
But this year, a new report from Doctors Without Borders stated that the HIV infection rate has fallen since 2008, offering promising figures for Swaziland.
"We are in the stabilization phase of the epidemic and seeing the first signs of a reduction on new HIV infections," head of the Swaziland Mission with the international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres Elias Pavlopoulos told Reuters.
Since 2011, the number of HIV/AIDS treatment centers has increased, along with the supply of crucial medication, thanks in part to an increase in funds from a customs union with South Africa that gives Swaziland most of its finances.
Medical aid groups have also taken on a hyper-local approach, educating witch doctors about the symptoms of HIV/AIDS while still supporting their right to prescribe traditional remedies, Reuters reported. These aid groups are still encouraging witch doctors to send over infected people to medical clinics.
A report released by research group Chatham House noted the economic issues associated with high rates of infection - the country's labor force is experiencing noticeable difficulty as it continuously slims down from HIV/AIDS-related deaths.
"The effect of HIV/AIDS on the labor supply is obvious: the loss of young adults in their most productive years results in lower economic output," the report read.
According to All Africa, around 370,000 citizens of South Africa contracted HIV/AIDS in 2012, and although there has been a noticeable decline in rate of infection, the area still is home to the world's highest number of citizens who suffer from the sickness.
