"America has done much - and still we face an ocean of need"

The AIDS Challenge
By MICHAEL GERSON
Published: October 8, 2007
The Boston Globe

This article outlines some of the problems associated with providing assistance to individuals with AIDS in Africa. One of the article’s main points serves to illustrate the difficultly in choosing between prevention and active treatment in order to end the AIDS crisis as found in certain developing regions.

Although the United States provides more money to combat the AIDS crisis through treatment than other nations combined, the author of the article questions whether certain goals are realistic and whether or not funding should be shifted to AIDS prevention efforts.

Currently, two million individuals are getting AIDS treatment in developing countries. Although this is an improvement over five to six years ago (where nearly no one was being treated), without proper prevention the number of individuals with AIDS (at a staggering 40 million) continues to increase by 4 million a year in these countries. This makes it seem highly unlikely that the United State’s and G-8’s goal of full coverage for individuals with AIDS will be realized by 2010.

Despite the daunting numbers these nations face, the effort is laudable and it is making and impact, often in unexpected ways. I found it interesting that the number of people diagnosed with AIDS has increased as a result of more widespread treatment. This surprising information is a result of the greater desire to be tested when the prospect of treatment is on the horizon. Individuals who would have not even considered being tested in the past (because they had no hope of treatment and did not want to know) are now getting tested. In this way, increased treatment is required for a certain aspect of prevention. The more the people from developing countries know about AIDS, the longer they will be able to live, and the greater the chance for them to prevent transmission.

In terms of prevention, one of the biggest things that can be done is to provide pregnant AIDS-positive women with the drugs required to help prevent transmission of AIDS to newborns. This kind of technology is important in providing the next generation with the chance to be born AIDS free. I sincerely hope that those children, at least, can be given a fair chance at a full life.

Some nations are trying many other methods (as seen in the article), and this does help lower transmission rates. Overall, prevention of transmission would be required to lower the amount of individuals requiring treatment. The United States has started to delve into prevention as they now provide more condoms to those who need them. Additionally, they recognize that the prospect for treatment will increase the number of people who get tested for AIDS.

The author of the article makes a great point towards the end of the article:

“Treatment and prevention, in the end, cannot be separated. And the goal of universal access to treatment seems morally unavoidable. However expensive this commitment might be, there is also a cost to letting 40 million people or more die - a cost the world should not be willing to pay.”

I completely agree. Prevention will make the goal of universal AIDS treatment more obtainable and, over time, the problem can be controlled and drastically reduced from the current state of epidemic. Granted, it is difficult to simultaneously fund effective treatment and prevention efforts, but perhaps some effective combination can be found to produce the best outcome. Additionally, both could be more effectively provided if other developed nations opted to fund AIDS operations in developing nations. Still, the key lies in some combination that helps stem the transmission of AIDS while simultaneously treating those unfortunate enough to have contracted the disease already. Hopefully, scientists will someday find a vaccine that is both effective in treating developing world populations while it can remain affordable. Until that time, those nations that are better off should help to fund the $32-51 million required to provide universal treatment needed by millions of AIDS sufferers. AIDS is one of the greatest obstacles in helping the developing world transition into the developed world where they can experience a greater quality of life for a longer period of time. It is also one of the obstacles that we, as a species, most need to overcome in the coming decades.