HIV/AIDS is Zambia’s most challenging development problem today. Of the population over age fifteen, twenty percent are estimated to be infected with HIV. The groups that are arguably the most vulnerable and the most adversely affected by the epidemic are Zambia’s children and youth. Many children are from HIV affected families and households and their coping strategies are tested by the cumulative effects of poverty, disease and an increasing dependency burden. Thirteen percent of Zambian children under the age of 15 were orphaned, having lost at least one parent. Between 1995 and 1997, HIV/AIDS and poverty increased the number of street children from 70,000 to 490,000. Some estimates indicate that within ten years Zambia will have one million orphan children.

The Zambian government has expressed worry at the increase of new HIV infection rates which has risen to 82 000 in the past two years. HIV still poses a great challenge. The Zambian government reflected on the challenges of the epidemic during World AIDS Day. Health Minister Simbao Kampembwa called on the church, faith-based organizations and cooperating partners to tame and fight the pandemic using best practices considering it had no respect for any creed or colour by affecting and infecting every person.

The country is facing a tough challenge to reduce the infection rate because the epidemic is threatening the foundation of families and marriages. The Government also appealed for intensifying messages of prevention on safer blood supply, behavioural change, communications campaigns and uptake of services which are currently low.

The Government commemorated World AIDS Day with a call to intensify efforts aimed at preventing the rate of new infections. The Government urged Zambians to start working towards the reduction of HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.