Los Angeles Times - December 28 2001

Before bailing out of Washington for its holiday vacation, the House passed a bill to dramatically increase spending to fight AIDS overseas. The Senate should follow suit quickly when it returns next month. This would show that it is serious about fighting the pandemic and could prod the appropriations committees in both chambers to actually provide the money--$1.3 billion in the next fiscal year, up from this year's $675 million.

More than half that money would be dispatched to a global fund to curb AIDS, the HIV virus that causes it, and related illnesses. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has labored to draw attention to the ravages of AIDS around the world, especially in Africa, estimates that the fund will need $7 billion to $10 billion a year to function properly. So far it has received only $1.6 billion in pledges. Providing anti-AIDS drugs is not enough, so in the poorest countries money from the fund will also go to clean water projects and campaigns against diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, which can so weaken a victim as to allow AIDS to sweep through the body like a conquering army. The war metaphor is not unfounded. The United Nations puts the number infected with HIV or AIDS since the epidemic began at more than 60 million people, 22 million of whom have died, 17 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Especially troubling are the millions of children who have lost one or both parents to the disease.

Antiretroviral drugs have helped some people stricken with AIDS to live productively for years. But the medicines are expensive. A number of large pharmaceutical companies have been negotiating with individual nations about reducing the price of the drugs. In some instances, drug prices have declined by 85%. A better system would be for nations in a region to join forces for negotiations, which the global fund could orchestrate.

Because AIDS is primarily a sexually transmitted disease, the leaders of many countries continue to deny that it's a problem within their borders. Education can end that ignorance and help prevent new cases. Then the important tasks will be treating HIV patients to prevent development of full-blown AIDS and stabilizing those who already have it.

Congress can help with money, and the U.N. has established an oversight commission to monitor how the funds are spent. Then the recipient nations must face up to the problem and work with the U.N. to improve supplies of drinking water and bolster sustainable agriculture. Stronger countries will have better footing for the fight.

For information about reprinting this article, go to http://www.lats.com/rights

011228
LT011212

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .