Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - 7 Aug 95
Laura Myers, AP Staff Writer
More than 19 million men, women and children worldwide -- including more than 1 million Americans -- are now infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, said J. Brian Atwood, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
As a result, 300,000 to 600,000 people are expected to die from AIDS this year. AIDS deaths are expected to hit 1.5 million to 3 million by the year 2000, when 10 million children could be orphaned by the disease.
AIDS is now the No. 1 cause of death for Americans aged 25-44.
"These statistics are not someone else's problems," Atwood told a conference of more than 700 AIDS experts sponsored by his agency. "If communities wither and nations fail, all of us will pay."
Atwood said the United States and other countries must make a stronger commitment to pay for AIDS prevention and education programs. The Agency for International Development accounts for more than half of the money spent on such programs worldwide, with a budget of $121 million this year.
"Our rhetoric at international meetings still surpass the tangible actions of our governments," Atwood said. "Fear and ignorance still play too large a role in our national debates."
Patricia Fleming, director of AIDS policy for the White House, said U.S. AIDS funding has increased 40 percent since President Clinton took office. And the House recently agreed to boost funding for the National Institute of Health's office that deals with the disease.
Additionally, scientists are making progress in preventing AIDS infection of unborn babies and in developing better anti-viral drugs, she said.
"There is reason for hope," said Fleming. "I know we can prevail because we must."
Undersecretary of State Timothy Wirth said dislocations of poor and increasingly unhealthy populations threatens to worsen the AIDS epidemic.
"AIDS is not likely to run its course and subside," he told a State Department briefing. "Without better response strategies, without massive behavioral changes, we're going to continue to see a multiplication of AIDS infections. And we are seeing that around the world."
But Atwood said the tide could turn.
"If the 1990s are the decade of AIDS mortality, they can also be the decade of containment, the high-water mark for the HIV epidemic, the beginning of the end of this epidemic," he said.
Already, in Thailand, increased condom use and availability of anti-viral drugs have resulted in a 79 percent decrease in reported sexually transmitted diseases since 1989, he said. He also cited increased condom use in at-risk countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya, where such protection is credited with preventing an estimated 110,000 HIV infections since 1989.
Eustace Muhondwa, an AIDS expert at Dar es Salaam University in Tanzania, said the epidemic spread unchecked in Africa because political leaders and scientists denied it was a problem during the 1980s.
Widespread social change is needed to combat HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, where many cultures reward men who have several wives or sexual partners, he said.
Copyright 1995/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
950807
AP950805
Copyright © 1995 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1995. 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, 1995. 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. .