Providing Funding To Fight HIV/AIDS in Africa Should Be Top Priority of United States, Editorial Says
The United States should lead the world's efforts to "respond to the staggering numbers being cited about AIDS in Africa," a Tennessean editorial says. According to a UNAIDS report released last month, titled "AIDS in Africa: Three Scenarios to 2025," while only about 10% of the world's population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly two-thirds of all HIV-positive people live in the region, the editorial says (Tennessean, 4/12). The report estimates that almost $200 billion over the next 20 years would be needed to avert 16 million AIDS-related deaths and 43 million new HIV infections in Africa, although donors currently have pledged nowhere near that amount (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/4). However, "no matter what is done at this point, the number of people in Africa with HIV/AIDS is going to grow," the editorial says. The United States has pledged "millions of dollars" toward fighting the disease, the editorial says, adding that while "this country alone cannot conquer AIDS in Africa, ... it can certainly lead." The Tennessean concludes, "For all the goals this nation has set to improve conditions throughout the world, the enormous tragedy in Africa should rank as high as any in this nation's foreign policy" (Tennessean, 4/12).
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