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AIDS Epidemic a Tragedy in Africa Christopher Ruddy Call it the "silent crisis." With so many other pressing concerns commanding attention, it is not surprising that one unfolding tragedy could escape the notice it deserves - the AIDS epidemic in Africa. The war in Iraq, the threat of a nuclear Iran or North Korea, the turmoil between Israel and the Palestinians, not to mention such natural disasters as the Asian tsunami and the Gulf Coast hurricanes - all make front-page news. But day in and day out, the unnatural disaster of AIDS takes its toll on Africa - particularly southern Africa - leaving behind the dead and the dying, millions of orphans and a country in economic ruin. The numbers are overwhelming. More than 25 million people were infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of last year, including 3.1 million who contracted the virus in 2005. AIDS claimed 2.4 million lives in the past year - the equivalent of three dozen Hiroshimas. All told, more than 17 million people have died due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa since the late 1970s, and more than 12 million children have been orphaned. The infection rate in some countries is staggering. In Swaziland, nearly 39 percent of the adult population is living with AIDS/HIV. In Botswana, 37 percent are infected. The reported rate in Zimbabwe is 24.6 percent. Story Continues Below
In South Africa, 21.5 percent of adults have contracted HIV - 5.1 million people, more than half of them women. In addition, 230,000 children have the virus. With only 10 percent of the world's population, Africa accounts for 70 percent of adult HIV infection and 80 percent of children with the disease. AIDS in Africa bears little resemblance to the disease in the United States, where it is largely limited to specific high-risk groups and has been brought under control through education, prevention and drug therapy. In Africa, everyone who is sexually active is at risk, and barely a single family remains untouched. The economic impact on the region is virtually immeasurable. The vast majority of people living with AIDS/HIV in Africa are between the ages of 15 and 49, in the prime of their working lives. When they die, many leave behind surviving partners who are themselves infected. They in turn leave behind children struggling to survive without a parent's care. The means to control the epidemic is available; the money to pay for that control is not. The FDA has approved more than 50 drugs for the treatment of AIDS/HIV or AIDS-related conditions, and some of these drugs can keep HIV from developing into full-blown AIDS. However, many AIDS-fighting drugs are expensive and well beyond the reach of most people in Africa. Even when drugs are affordable, they are often not reaching the people in need. For example, inexpensive AZT or nevirapine can prevent HIV transmission from a pregnant woman to her child, but only about 3 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women in Africa are receiving the drugs. The battle against the AIDS epidemic requires, first and foremost, prevention. In Uganda, the prevalence of HIV fell from 15 percent of the adult population in the early 1990s to 5 percent in 2001, due at least in part to effective HIV prevention campaigns, including an abstinence campaign for single adults. The United States took a step in the right direction when President Clinton signed an executive order in 2000 making it easier for African nations to gain access to cheaper generic drugs - a move his administration had previously resisted. The press rarely speaks about it, but dealing with the African AIDS crisis has been a major priority for the Bush administration. In early February, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a five-year, $15 billion plan to provide assistance for dealing with the HIV epidemic in southern Africa and other hard-hit regions. Even U2's lead singer Bono, who has spearheaded a worldwide effort to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic, responded by praising President Bush for his efforts. Bono noted that Bush's support for AIDS relief has already helped put 700,000 people on life-saving anti-retroviral drugs. What's important to understand is that this issue transcends partisan politics. Former President Bill Clinton has dedicated a significant part of his time and his Clinton Foundation resources to help alleviate the AIDS crisis globally, especially in Africa. During the past several years he has commendably used his prestige to secure deals from major pharmaceuticals to lower the costs of anti-AIDS drugs and tests by as much as 50 percent. So far, some 50 less-developed nations are benefiting from the Clinton initiative. (Clinton's activities here seem so much more laudable than Jimmy Carter's, who seems to spend his time criticizing America and Israel.) But the job of dealing with AIDS in Africa rests not just with the United States. Other nations must meet the challenge as well. As of March 2004, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation alone had contributed more money, $100 million, to fight AIDS than Germany ($61 million) or the Netherlands ($51 million). It's time the world stepped up efforts to deal with the "silent crisis." What is certain is that without treatment, those with HIV will die -- and without prevention, the spread of HIV cannot be checked. Editor's note:
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