LA Times editorial on Global Fund- 12/28/01

[Guest guest]

Global Insecurity and AIDS

12/28/2001

Los Angeles Times

AIDS is not just a health issue but a national security problem. The

disease threatens to devastate economies by sapping productivity. In

countries where it runs rampant, according to a recent House

committee report, the disease can cripple military and police forces,

rendering them unable to fight domestic or foreign foes.

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 n, 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.