Today is World AIDS Day.
A year and a half ago leaders of the world’s most powerful countries gathered at the G-8 summit and promised Universal Access to AIDS Treatment by 2010.
Picture Logo use courtesy of factlv.org
Since then there has been little action toward committing the resources and policies to reach that goal. Some progress is being made, but still only 1.6 million people have access to anti-retro viral treatment.
With 40 million people infected world-wide, and 14,000 newly infected every day, HIV/AIDS is the worst epidemic in human history. Consider:
- Over 8000 people still die from AIDS every day
- More than 6 million people are in need of urgent treatment and 10 million will be by 2010
- Less than 5% of HIV positive children receive treatment
Today, we demand action from the U.S. government, members of the G8 and other world leaders to fund access to HIV treatment, and commence effective trade policies that contribute to, rather than working against, reaching Universal Access by 2010 for those living with HIV in the U.S. and around the world.
The Bush administration spends $8 billion dollars a month on the Iraq war. This amount could provide anti-retro viral treatment to everyone on earth infected with HIV for an entire year.
From the Left 
Administration Gets Failing Grade In World AIDS Day Report Card
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/11/113006aidsDay.htm
The Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress for the third year in a row have received a failing grade from an LGBT civil rights organization in the government’s response to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The World AIDS Day report card was released by the Human Rights Campaign to coincide with today’s AIDS Day observances. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS.
Indeed.
I scanned the online websites of the NY Times and Washington Post and they’ve totally chosen to ignore World AIDS Day. This can’t be an editorial coincidence and/or accident. How curious? Never forget – always remember.
If you are lucky enough to live in the developed world, at least there’s treatment, but for everyone else, especially HIV patients in Africa, access is next to none. We need to thank Bill and Melinda Gates for their committment to global access to medication and Bill Clinton for using his influence with drug companiesto make HIV meds cheap or free for poor countries.
Down in Texas, the 4th largest population of AIDS patients try to survive each day and yet Bush’s home state provides some of the smallest funding for medical care and access to drugs. I know something about this because my sister is a nurse in Dallas and I hear the stories.
D Mason, I noticed the samething. I guess 25 years into the epidemic and AIDS is no longer interesting or sexy to the big national papers. I’m sure they will have something about Britney Spears divorce later today.
HIV infection continue to grow, with 4 million new cases occuring worldwide every year. The battle is far from over and the frontlines of the war on AIDS include the USA and Europe.
The Bush administration’s lack of leadership on HIV is reminiscent of the void of leadership we witnessed during the Reagan administration, who refused to address AIDS until the 7th year he was in office.
Like Reagan, Bush is so bound up with concerns of how it will play with Christian conservatives that he has largely ignored the epidemic. Sadly, the newest infections are taking place in married women of color and young people who somehow confuse HAART therapy with a cure. There is no cure for AIDS – at least not at this time.
Because AIDS infections are accelerating, so too must the response of wealthy governments like the USA. We can’t be bothered with George Bush anymore, but we can focus on the new Congress and pressure them to increase funding for Ryan White and research into effective new treatments.
AIDS needs to be an election issue in the 2008 presidential race. To not make it a top priority would be criminal in my opinion.
The difference between Reagan and Bush on AIDS issues is, Reagan was stupid, but Bush is evil.
Another failure of the Bush administration. All the billions which could be devoted to AIDS treatment and research, not to mention so many other plagues.
The New York Times has a nicely done pull-out in the Friday paper. I think it didn’t get included in the cyber edition.
Like so many really ugly things, the explosion of the AIDS epidemic has its origins in another Republican administration: Ronald “we’re doing everything we can” Reagan. Had he cared about dying Americans, he would’ve used his influence as president to begin funding work on a cure early on. But Reagan was a piece of human feces and he didn’t give a damn. I spit on his grave.
It is important to note that the current president pledged $15 billion earlier this year to fight AIDS, provide access to care and research into a cure. Most of this money is allocated for poor African countries.
On the surface this sounds all well and good, but as is always the case with this administration, there’s a caveat: 30% of that $15 billion is earmarked for abstinence teaching.
A wink and a nod to the religious right.
You see, it all comes down to priorities. Funding AIDS drugs and research isn’t a priority for conservatives. Especially religious conservatives. But waging war and killing children is important to them. Throughout history, little has proved more destructive than religion. When Bush vetoed Federal funding for stem cell research, it was clear he didn’t give a damn about AIDS. But that’s fine because most of the human race doesn’t give a damn about him either.