civ. The government needs to consider defining an ethical code that will regulate the participation of senior party and government officials and their families in business. This will serve to avert the corrosive impact of unbridled economic activities on public morality. 4.3 HIV/Aids cv. Since its detection in the early 1980s, HIV/Aids has become a global pandemic, with the SADC region of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bearing the brunt. Although this subregion accounts for less than 2 per cent of the global population, it has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. At the end of 2006, approximately 14.9 million, or 39 per cent, of the population were living with HIV/Aids. cvi. Mozambique has not been spared the adverse impact of the HIV/Aids pandemic. With an estimated HIV prevalence of 16.3 per cent among adults (15– 49 years) in 2005, Mozambique ranks among the ten most affected countries in the world. An estimated 500 people are infected every day. In the case of adults living with HIV/Aids, the impact is not uniformly distributed, as an estimated 57 per cent are women. They are generally infected at much earlier ages than men, with consequences in terms of impact, since women thus lose more years of life than men. This pattern of HIV infection according to gender is typical of the subregion as a whole. It is clearly related to the low educational levels and exceedingly high illiteracy rates of women, as well as their subordinate economic, social and political position. cvii. The national rate of HIV prevalence masks considerable regional differences in Mozambique, with adult prevalence rates estimated at 13.2 per cent for the south, 16.5 per cent for the centre and 5.7 per cent for the north of the country. At the same time, Mozambique is experiencing epidemics of tuberculosis and malaria, in addition to seasonal cholera outbreaks, all of which exacerbate the impact of HIV/Aids. cviii. While the pandemic is currently receiving considerable attention from all major stakeholders, much wider access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services is urgently needed. As the country scales up HIV/Aids programmes and more people are reached with prevention, treatment and care services, the capacity of individuals and institutions to manage and deliver these services must be strengthened. cix. Also noteworthy is the realisation that Aids is linked to many other problems, such as poverty and poor public infrastructure. Efforts to fight the pandemic should take these realities into account and look at ways in which the general development of Mozambique can progress. In particular, interventions aimed at strengthening the economy can help individuals and households affected by HIV/Aids to survive the shocks caused by the disease. This, in turn, will 22 A P R M COU N T RY R EV IEW R EP ORT NO. 11