Introduction

More than 7.4 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific region, the great majority of them employees in their most productive age. Every day, approximately 14,000 persons globally are newly infected with HIV. 6,000 of these newly infected people are between 15 and 24 years old and make up future labor supply.

Approximately 800,000 adults, 450,000 of them men, became infected in South and SouthEast Asia in the year 2003. East Asia and the Pacific are the two regions still keeping HIV at bay, with some 150,000 new infections in 2003. At the end of 2003, these two regions combined were estimated to have 7 million people living with HIV/AIDS.

The economy needs people to operate. People are needed to produce goods or services. They are are needed to manage business, without them it would not work. Businesses make money in the markets, which is also run by people.

HIV/AIDS affect people, families, businesses and the global economy. The greatest affect is felt on people being in the reproductive age group. That is the group being in charge of the production in business. This is also the same group, which forms the lion's share of the market.

The figure below shows the percentage of HIV infected in the population in three regions of the world. The figure shows clearly that the figures are high and that if nothing is done then the consequences will be severe.

The consequences are clear and what affects people on a vast scale today will erode business tomorrow. There has not been any detailed study of the inter-relationship between HIV and business but from what the data and history has shown there is a logical conclusion. The link between HIV/AIDS and business is no longer conceptual, we know its consequences. HIV/AIDS has always be known to be dangerous to us all in its spread and impacts but the question is whether we will listen to the warnings and do what is necessary to avoid them.

Some of the consequences are loss of productivity at industry level, business sector level and country level. Note, that these are just some of the consequences what is not included here are the families, the social economy and the international consequences.

In Thailand for example, at least 1 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in 2003, of whom more than 85% are in their productive working age. Thailand has been able to contain the increase in number of newly infected persons, mainly due to their large 100% condom use programme in the 1990s. However, funding for this programme has concluded. Thailand now faces another task in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, that of injecting drug use. It is estimated that more than 50% of the 1 million HIV positive people in Thailand are employed in the private sector. HIV/AIDS directly affects the social and economic development, both on the business, as well as on the national economic level.

Studies done by UNAIDS show that Myanmar is in the throes of a major epidemic while Cambodia has the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region, fuelled by sexual transmission against a background of social and economic fragility.

Several factors have played a significant role in spreading HIV in Asia and they they will continue to impact. Injecting drug use, commercial sex, literacy, dependency, access to information and services, migration and population mobility.

The impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on African economies is worsening. Rising health care and funeral costs, combined with lost income and savings, are devastating families. Productivity losses, increased absenteeism, and rising insurance and training costs are hurting economies and businesses. Without preventive measures, this pattern could repeat itself in Asia and Latin America. Meeting the Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS ( by Erica Barks-Ruggles2001 The Threat to Economic Prosperity).

Next, will be explained some of the consequences and the impacts of HIV/AIDS on the business and the economy as a whole. After looking at this, it is clear that the impacts are too severe and “expensive”, social and economical, to not act!