PBS’ ‘NOW With Bill Moyers’ Profiles Bill Gates’ Philanthropy on Public Health Issues, Including HIV/AIDS
PBS' "NOW with Bill Moyers" tonight will broadcast a special 60-minute episode titled, "Health, Wealth and Bill Gates," examining the mind, motivations and philanthropy of Microsoft Corp. Chair Bill Gates on global public health issues, including HIV/AIDS. In the interview, which was recorded March 17 before a live audience of students at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Gates discussed the establishment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the leading public health crises facing the world, his foundation's efforts to address them, and the "roadblocks" he sees to improving public health. Gates said that although the "ideal thing" would be a 100% effective HIV vaccine to "literally break the epidemic," the best current course of action is to "put huge energy" into treating HIV-positive individuals and "a lot of money into changing behavior." Gates said, "[H]ow we deal with the AIDS epidemic should be one of the greatest ways that the world gets measured. ... A big part of that grade should be, 'Did we apply all of the world's resources and activities and visibility against the AIDS crisis?'" Gates also discussed the foundation's funding for microbicides, which he considers a "very important" method of blocking sexual transmission of HIV. In addition to the interview with Gates, the program includes produced segments on global public health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and trachoma. The program's Web site includes an overview of global health issues, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, population growth, poverty and vaccine development, and related online resources (Moyers, "NOW with Bill Moyers," PBS, 5/9). The full transcript of the interview is available online. In addition, an excerpt of the interview is available online in RealPlayer.
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.