Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - December 1, 2003
Thompson, who is also chairman of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-Wook joined a march of hundreds through this resort town to mark World AIDS Day.
"This war has caused more casualties than any other war," Thompson said in an address before the march. "We need America, the European Union and everybody. Nobody is going to be spared unless we all come together in the fight against this disease."
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 26 million of the between 34 million and 46 million people worldwide living with HIV. Only about 1% have access to life-prolonging drugs widely available in wealthier countries.
In Nairobi, WHO and UNAIDS launched a major campaign Monday to provide 3 million HIV-infected people with the latest drugs by the end of 2005.
"The most important thing to do is to increase awareness of HIV and also to encourage people to know their HIV status," Lee said at a rally at Livingstone's Mukuni Park. "This will reduce the transmission of HIV from one person to another."
Thompson kicked off a four-nation African tour Monday to assess existing projects and determine what needs to be done to increase treatment and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Before the march, he signed an agreement pledging $2.5 million in assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for HIV prevention, monitoring and care in Zambia. UNAIDS estimates 22% of adults are infected with the disease in this impoverished southern African country.
U.S. President George W. Bush has recently pledged $15 billion in funding over five years to fight HIV/AIDS and appointed Randall L. Tobias as U.S. global AIDS coordinator to oversee the funds.
Thompson's delegation is paying special attention to the needs of the 11 million children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
In the afternoon, he planned to visit the Livingstone Street Children Association, which runs a community school for 200 orphans and other children who cannot afford the fees at state schools.
Thompson is accompanied by top U.S. health officials, lawmakers and business leaders on the tour, which will also take in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.
Also along is Richard Holbrooke, president of the Global Business Coalition for HIV/AIDS, which is working to encourage companies large and small to contribute to the fight against the disease among their employees in Africa and other developing nations.
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