Bill Clinton on AIDS in Tamil Nadu

[Guest guest]

We Can Win the War on AIDS

By Bill Clinton

On the eve of a historic U.N. summit on AIDS, the

world mourns the loss of a righteous voice. Earlier

this month, Nkosi passed away quietly in his

sleep. Nkosi was only 12 years old, but in his own

modestly defiant fashion, he was a giant among us.

Infected since birth with HIV, he became South

Africa's leading advocate for people living with

AIDS. He gave a kind, human face to 4.7 million of

his compatriots who are HIV positive. He was, in the

words of former president Mandela, " a very

courageous young man . . . a wonderful advocate [who

reached] many people beyond South Africa. "

Nkosi and his peers have given me hope that we can

prevail against this terrible scourge. Over the

course of my recent travels in Africa, I was

fortunate to meet many remarkable men and women who

are working tirelessly to stem the tide of new

infections, to care for those who are already sick

and to press the global community to act swiftly and

proportionately in the face of the greatest health

crisis of the modern age.

Over the past two decades, 58 million people

worldwide have been infected with HIV, and 22

million have died of AIDS. Today, 36 million people

are HIV-positive, over two-thirds of whom live in

Africa. But the disease is spreading quickly in

other regions of the developing world, particularly

in the former Soviet states, the Caribbean and parts

of East and South Asia. By 2005, an estimated 100

million people will be infected.

Beyond the heartbreaking loss of life, the United

States has real and profound interests in reversing

this trend, because the health of our economy relies

on the sustained vitality of foreign markets, many

of which are threatened by the AIDS pandemic. AIDS

is also a political virus. The disease strikes at

vital human resources. It decimates the ranks of

civic, entrepreneurial and military leadership.

Moreover, widespread suffering and impoverishment

are sure prescriptions for civil unrest. This is why

both the U.S. government and the U.N. Security

Council have identified AIDS as a security threat.

In light of all this, we must confront the AIDS

epidemic as we would any other life-and-death

struggle: with overwhelming determination.

Around the world, local organizations have proven

that with strong leadership, popular commitment and

proportionate resources, they can slow or even

reverse the rate of new infection and provide

life-prolonging treatment for the sick. Uganda, once

the center of Africa's AIDS epidemic, has seen its

infection rate drop by more than half through an

unremitting and vigilant public awareness campaign.

The same is true of other developing areas -- from

the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to Senegal and,

particularly, to Brazil -- where ordinary citizens

and their governments are working together, with

great success, to stop HIV in its tracks.

I have seen these initiatives work. Like the

volunteers I met at Hope Worldwide -- a service

organization in Soweto -- millions of African

citizens stand ready to do their part. Governments

must do their part as well. Several weeks ago, at

the urging of President Obasanjo of Nigeria, African

leaders convened to launch a vigorous assault on

AIDS. These developments are encouraging. But we

can't fight this war on a shoestring budget.

Fortunately, we're moving in the right direction.

Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi n will

formally ask the United Nations and nongovernmental

organizations to commit $10 billion annually to the

war on AIDS. For mounting this bold and important

initiative, he deserves our praise. Our support can

make a difference. We can cut the death rate

substantially just by furnishing simple medicines

that stave off opportunistic diseases -- for

instance, tuberculosis, which accounts for 50

percent of AIDS-related deaths in Africa. It is

essential that the United States commit its share of

the war chest -- approximately 22 percent of the

total, equivalent to about 1 percent of the recently

passed tax cut. To shirk this responsibility is to

abdicate America's timeless role as a beacon of hope

and promise. Moreover, we can afford to devote these

resources. The price of neglect will be far higher

over the long run.

With adequate funding and strong leadership, we can

attack this disease comprehensively: by supporting

prevention programs that drive down infection rates;

by making pharmaceuticals, including medicines that

block the transmission of HIV from mother to child,

available at reduced costs; by developing a system

to teach people how to administer these drugs and

monitoring their efforts; and finally, by sustaining

the scientific quest for a vaccine and a cure.

The question is no longer whether we can or can't

win the war on AIDS. Of course we can. The question

is: will we, or won't we? Besieged by a common

enemy, we must join together in common cause -- in

memory of 22 million human souls, and for the future

of many millions more. Our humanity requires it. In

the profound words of Nkosi , " We are all

human beings. We are the same. "

__________________________

The writer was 42nd president of the United States.

Washington Post of 24 June 2001,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35960-2001Jun22.html