HIV/AIDS in war zones: A global security threat

Since it was first reported in 1981, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has infected more than 40 million people worldwide of which over 25 million have died because of the disease. Most of the studies related to HIV/AIDS have been conducted in stable populations across the globe. Few of these studies have been devoted to displaced populations, particularly those in areas of conflict. There have not been many studies that have correlated HIV/AIDS and the national securities in those nations hardest hit by the epidemic. With new populations being infected, HIV/AIDS is not only robbing many nations of the most productive populations, it is also posing a threat to the security of those nations and the entire world. The objective of this narrative review was to address different social determinants of HIV/AIDS in displaced populations in war areas as well as other conflict zones and, how it affects global security, a factor that can no longer be ignored. A review of referred literature published in English between 1990 and 2010 was conducted through an open search of PUBMED database. Twelve different studies that looked at the implications of HIV/AIDS in conflict areas and how it relates to global security were retrieved. The review revealed that the displacement that follows any conflict may exacerbate the rate of HIV infection among displaced people as well as those they come into contact with, especially where they end up settling. This phenomenon may eventually lead to many others getting infected which will threaten global security.