Introduction

HIV and AIDS are having devastating effects on the demographic landscape particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (UNAIDS, 2002). Equally, recognition of the terrifying scale of the demographic impact of HIV epidemics has been crucial in the mobilisation of the –albeit still grossly inadequate – global response. Initially, the proposition that HIV epidemics had the potential, on their own, to reduce the high rates of population growth (3–4% per annum) seen in sub-Saharan African countries during the 1970s and 1980s to below zero within a time scale of two to three decades (Anderson et al., 1987) proved predictably controversial but awakened international and local concern at the possible severity of these epidemics. Subsequently, data directly linking positive HIV infection status to heightened mortality risk (Mulder et al., 1994) and verifying the enormous scale of the impact of HIV/AIDS on death rates in badly affected populations (Caraël and Schwartländer, 1998; UNAIDS, 2000) provided an empirical basis for, and thereby much-needed impetus to, efforts to control the pandemic.

In this chapter, we will see that HIV and AIDS are also leaving an indelible mark on the academic discipline of demography. The nature and scale of the effects of HIV/AIDS epidemics have been so profound that they have come to dominate the demographic agenda, particularly within Africa. As a consequence, new methods of study design, data collection, data analysis and demographic projection have been developed that reflect this new priority.