HIV/AIDS across ECOWAS countries: the Prevalence, impact and response

This paper provides an overview of some of the most pressing concerns countries within ECOWAS and their partners will face over the next five to ten years as the rate of adult HIV/AIDS infection climbs to critical levels. Currently only four out of the 15 ECOWAS countries fall under this designation, but time is short and the spread of HIV/AIDS is quickly reaching higher proportions within the subregion, transferring the full impact of the epidemic from micro to macro level. Already trends across the ECOWAS suggest that countries with high rates of HIV/AIDS among sex workers are set to move from an epidemic level to a pandemic level if drastic measures are not put in place immediately.