Congressional Hunger Center Chairs Highlight Relationship Between HIV/AIDS, Food Shortage

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) on Wednesday said that ending world hunger and fighting HIV/AIDS are two closely related battles, the Associated Press reports. Emerson and Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), who are co-chairs of the Congressional Hunger Center, traveled to Rome last week to meet with officials from the World Food Programme. In an interview following the trip, Emerson said, "The HIV/AIDS epidemic is decimating the populations of [countries with food shortages], and it's very much connected to the whole issue of hunger," adding that genetically altered crops "are, in many people's opinion, part of the solution." Emerson and McGovern said that it would be a mistake to focus solely on AIDS drugs in the fight against HIV/AIDS because so few people have access to them. McGovern said, "Short of that, you need to make sure people have proper diets. If you're not eating and you don't have the proper diet, you get sicker and sicker, and the disease comes upon you quicker" (Quaid, Associated Press, 7/9).