Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Los Angeles Times - September 24, 2003
Today, 13 million children are AIDS orphans, one-third of all countries have no policies to ensure that women have access to AIDS prevention and care (though women now account for half of those infected worldwide) and only 300,000 people in the developing world have access to anti-HIV medications (although up to 6 million need them).
As Bono, the AIDS activist and lead singer for the rock band U2, noted before meeting with President Bush last week, "The AIDS emergency is just that. It's not a cause. We're not here peddling a cause. We're not looking to get into America's wallet for another cause [This] is an emergency."
This year, Congress promised to spend $3 billion combating AIDS globally in 2004. On Tuesday, President Bush committed to spending $15 billion over the next five years in poor countries. And, yet, follow the money. The U.N. AIDS fund is just days away from bankruptcy. And the White House has been pressing Congress to support only $2 billion in funding in 2004, with just $200 million going to the U.N. fund, a one-third reduction from the 2003 U.S. contribution.
As in his conflict with the U.N. over Iraq, Bush seeks to keep a grip on funding and refuses to cooperate with other nations. He insists that new funding go to 14 nations of his choice. Bush's newly appointed AIDS ambassador, former Eli Lilly head Randy Tobias, says the new money should help countries that meet administration economic, social and political ideals. But is it fair to give short shrift to people who, through no fault of their own, live in countries that fall short of Bush ideals?
It's no time to reinvent the wheel when 40 million people live with HIV, about 29 million of them in Africa. The U.S. should donate at least $1 billion directly to the U.N. fund. On a population-percentage basis, that would match the $177 million that France has pledged to the global fund each year. Bush officials also should back the ambitious campaign unveiled Monday by the World Health Organization to provide anti-HIV treatment to 3 million people in poor countries by 2005. As U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Monday, "We cannot accept that 'something else came up' that forced us to place AIDS on the back burner. Something else will always come up."
030924
LT030912
Copyright © 2003 - Los Angeles Times. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Los Angeles Times, Permissions, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. http://www.latimes.com.
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, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. 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, 2003. 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. .