Setback in the Fight Against AIDS
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-05-18/setback-fight-against-aids
The number of people with AIDS worldwide is growing by a million a year, but funding for medications and clinics is at a standstill. The global war on AIDS and why some see a new crisis on the horizon.
Guests
Dr. Anthony Fauci
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH
Stephen Lewis
Former the Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Co-Director of AIDS-Free World, member of the Board of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, chair of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Dr. Peter Mugyenyi
One of the world’s foremost specialists in the field of HIV/AIDS, a pediatrician by training, founder and director of Uganda’s Joint Clinical Research Center
Ambassador Eric Goosby
ambassador at large and Global Aids Coordinator with the U.S. Department of state, oversees implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as U.S. government engagement with the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Comments
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I understand that AIDS is still a world-wide problem. I had a family member die from AIDS in 1991. Now, I have a son with autism, which is, in my opinion, another pandemic medical issue. We know what causes AIDS. We are far from knowing what causes autism. This disorder is drowning our families and schools. I wish our government would channel its funds towards solving the autism mystery.
Why shoud we care more about Ugandans than their government does? When their government spends 400 million for fighter bombers from Russia they are making a statement about priorities and they make even the most empathetic feel foolish.
Thank you for your show today.
As an American who had worked in sub-saharan Africa for a number of years, I want to share my thoughts on the issue of increased funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment to meet the unmet need.
One issue that is never discussed publicaly or consistently is the fact that national African leadership and government officials are responsible for redirecting an enormous percentage of unilateral funding into privately held assets. I'm not convinced the US or other donor countries need to raise the amount of money provided through PEPFAR and other programs to meet the need of the growing number of patients. I AM convinced that we need to hold national governments accountable for their widespread corrupt practices regarding outside funding. The amount of funding with NEVER reaches local HIV clinics or local people is staggering.
Let's think twice before talking about giving more money to meet the unmet needs. It's such a Western, and more so American approach to everything. It really wont work in this situation.
Thank you for letting me share my thoughts.
Lisa
Boston
I find it concerning that the term "emergency" funding is being used, when this is not an emergency situation. these are things that are known and should be properly planned for. I live in an area in the northeast that was flooded and we can't get federal money for assistance but we continue to help those who don't pay into the system.
As a dual citizen in the US and Canada, I am ashamed and embarassed to hear the statements of Professor Stephen Lewis, a fellow Canadian. Dr. Lewis does NOT make a compelling case for his arguments, and in fact is incredibly irritating. If I was a Canadian or American government official listening to Dr. Lewis on this issue, I would cut funding for any programs Dr. Lewis is advocating for to the bone.
I have read that of every dollar of aid that the West gives to Africa, 9 dollars finds its way to Swiss Bank accounts of the dictators, warlords and other leaders. Is this not a problem that should be addressed, before we engage in all sorts of finger-pointing?
I do not fault the US for trying to balance its spending on foreign aid, which will always be insufficient, no matter what the level. And the question has long been asked, are the immense investments in AIDS worth the health returns, when compared to other diseases? These are complicated questions, and the well-meaning can come to different conclusions when examining the evidence.
As perlmeyer points out, a huge number of resources in Africa are squandered in military adventurism of one type or another. To compound this, the infrastructures of these countries are so poor that many of these expensive technologies cannot be used effectively and just go to waste. And yet, the West and Africa continue to throw money away on this sort of nonsense.
As a further example, I can present a situation I have personal knowledge of. Canada built a huge expensive water and waste treatment facility in one African country some years ago. One of my family members was sent by the Canadian government to inspect the facility. However, the Africans the equipment had been turned over to were poorly educated and the infrastructure in Africa was badly lacking, and therefore this multimillion dollar facility never worked properly. The money was basically thrown down a rathole so some politicians could report that they did something to assuage white and Western guilt about Africa.
Just attacking the US for trying to spend its limited resources carefully is not a productive activity.
I wonder why the finger wagging, schoolmarmish Dr. Lewis didn't bring up China which is using its trillions in US/China trade surplus dollars to econo-colonize the African continent, to export Chinese laborers Africa or to buy U.S. treasuries. Sure he did burp a token criticism at Canada for not doing enough then get right into his America must do more mode. I guess some Canadians just can't get off their America can be better hobby horse.
What about the educational initiatives in Africa. To my understanding, after educating truck drivers and prostitutes and other high risk groups and aiding them with condoms, those newly affected by HIV began to decrease. But now, this education initiative no longer helps as people think HIV is decreasing and it is more safe to have unprotected sex, thus aiding the bounce back in affected individuals. Is there any way to aid in protecting these people from AIDS, as the clinics are purely a band-aid to those already infected.
Last i heard the Bill and Malinda Gates foundation was going to pay Billions of dollars to African medical clinics to get millions of African men circumcised. The countries with the lowest rates of transmission have the highest rates of circumcision. Keeping the genitals clean and getting those already infected on antiretrovirals as soon as possible is going to be the only way to keep this epidemic in check.
i was curious if there was any new information on who was the first aids victim. what i've found is that their are a lot of people saying it's Patrice Lumumba who was a prime minister in 1959! I doubt he was a homosexual, needle user, or ate or had sex with monkeys. If we knew who the first case was in Leopoleville, belgain congo 1959, or was it to break up the riots. espically when you take in to account his speach about not being your monkey anymore
A couple of good resources are "The Band Played On", a book on the first years of HIV/AIDS, and the slow response in the US because of the the stigma placed on the disease. The second is PBS' Frontline episodes, The Age of Aids. Very informative. Also, anything you can read or watch with Dr Fauci in it would be informative, he has been with the AIDS problem from just about the beginning of the problem in the US.
A couple of good resources are "The Band Played On", a book on the first years of HIV/AIDS, and the slow response in the US because of the the stigma placed on the disease. The second is PBS' Frontline episodes, The Age of Aids. Very informative. Also, anything you can read or watch with Dr Fauci in it would be informative, he has been with the AIDS problem from just about the beginning of the problem in the US.