Get this...

So....it's been calculated by the the UN that for every 1% increase in HIV infections in a population, total development of that state and it's people decreases by 4 years. Now, if you consider that some African countries have an HIV rate of approximately 25% HIV infection.....no wonder they can't pull themselves out of a rut. Well, that and MANY other reasons that I don't feel like talking about because they're too depressing. But really....think about what an epidemic like that does to a country.