--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Epidemics historically have tended to…" description: "\"Epidemics historically have tended to kill the very young and the very old, but AIDS is different: Those ages 20 to 40 are most affected, which means t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/marvin-olasky-18081_affected_epidemics-historically-have-tended-to-ki_2494913.jpg" --- # Epidemics historically have tended to kill the very young… ![“Epidemics historically have tended to kill the very young and the very old, but AIDS is different: Those ages 20 to 40 are most affected, which means that so far over 12 million African children have been orphaned because of AIDS.” quote by Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/marvin-olasky-18081_affected_epidemics-historically-have-tended-to-ki_2494913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/marvin-olasky-18081_affected_epidemics-historically-have-tended-to-ki_2494913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/marvin-olasky-18081_affected_epidemics-historically-have-tended-to-ki_2494913.jpg) > “Epidemics historically have tended to kill the very young and the very old, but AIDS is different: Those ages 20 to 40 are most affected, which means that so far over 12 million African children have been orphaned because of AIDS.” [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. AIDS uniquely affects adults, leading to massive orphanhood among children in Africa. **In simple terms:** AIDS kills adults, leaving many children orphaned. Key Takeaway Address adult health to protect children. Themes health demographics poverty family policy Mood somber urgent Type social policy When to use this quote - NGO programs - government health policy - community support - education initiatives Key Concepts epidemiology social impact child welfare Questions to Reflect On - How can societies support orphaned children? - What policies best protect vulnerable families? A Different Perspective Limited data on long‑term outcomes for orphans. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids/) [Aids Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aids-different-1002065/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Orphaned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-orphaned-1002067/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Epidemics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Old Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-aids-1002066/) [Orphaned Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orphaned-aids-1002064/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I go to Malawi twice a year. It's where two of my children were adopted from, and I have a lot of projects there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-go-to-malawi-twice-a-year-it-s-where-two-of-my-children-were/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I think it's very important to support the program in your area, as each part of the country has its own challenges coping with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-broderick/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-support-the-program-in-your-area-as/) [Beth Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-broderick/) > [Did you know a child is orphaned by AIDS every 15 seconds. Millions of children are going it alone. Missing their childhood. Missing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-glover/did-you-know-a-child-is-orphaned-by-aids-every-15-seconds-millions-of/) [Danny Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-glover/) > [This country was filled with violent children orphaned by war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/this-country-was-filled-with-violent-children-orphaned-by-war/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Ebola has killed almost 12,000 people and at least 500 health workers. So it affected the entire population. And as you know, the World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ofeibea-quist-arcton/ebola-has-killed-almost-12-000-people-and-at-least-500-health-workers/) [Ofeibea Quist-Arcton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ofeibea-quist-arcton/) > [The Caribbean is the region in the Americas worst affected by the epidemic of NCDs. 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Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The infant mortality rates are insanely high. The obesity epidemic is on the rise. 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And half of all federal inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/blunt-force-didn-t-knock-out-the-drug-epidemic-21-million-americans/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) > [The people in power have created an obesity epidemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/the-people-in-power-have-created-an-obesity-epidemic/) [Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/) > [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/) [Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/) ## More by Marvin Olasky > [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [But to understand what it means to be strong and courageous, Christians should look to the person of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/but-to-understand-what-it-means-to-be-strong-and-courageous/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999-2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [More people need to understand the games secular liberals play. 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It could cause more human and financial suffering than the two world wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/first-climate-change-is-the-greatest-long-term-threat-faced-by/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [Be a pattern to others, and then all will go well; for as a whole city is affected by the licentious passions and vices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/be-a-pattern-to-others-and-then-all-will-go-well-for-as-a-whole-city/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/every-culture-if-its-natural-development-is-not-too-much-affected-by/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Don't show them that you are affected.. Instead, show them that you are happy even without them.. To put a sad face on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/don-t-show-them-that-you-are-affected-instead-show-them-that-you-are/) [Sharlene05](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharlene05/) > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Don't be intimidated by people who seem to be experts. Hear their points of view and get their judgements. But at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/don-t-be-intimidated-by-people-who-seem-to-be-experts-hear-their/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I have wondered why is it that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death that others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-wondered-why-is-it-that-some-people-are-less-affected-and-torn/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I don't think Wayne Rooney would be affected if you booed him, that's just how he is, but others go under. 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