Life Expectancy For Zimbabwe Women Falls

“The life expectancy for women stood at 34 two years ago but is now 30,” a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said.

“There are now more than 1.3 million people in Zimbabwe who are living with the HIV/Aids virus and about 60 percent of these are women in the country.”

He said children living with HIV/Aids who are orphans would rise to 34 percent by the end of 2010.

A review of the status of children living with HIV/Aids revealed that in Zimbabwe the main threats to these children was  a shortage of material resources, food, stationary, child labour, rape, sexual abuse and emotional abuse.

“Zimbabwe has an estimated 1 025 472 orphans as we speak,” he told Radio VOP in an interview.

“Over all, however, the country’s HIV/Aids prevalence rate has gone down. The percentage of children living with HIV/Aids and who are orphaned will rise to 34 percent by the end of 2010,” he said.