Many American HIV/AIDS advocates have lamented about how it seems that the major focus of HIV/AIDS funding, especially charitable giving, seems to be concentrated on Africa. While there is no question that the epidemic has infected and killed more people in Sub Saharan Africa than any other place in the world, it seems as if many people don't seem to realize that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is also here. Even the federal government's response has been inadequate. For example:
- In areas such as Detroit, Washington D.C. and the Deep South, HIV rates among segments of the Black community approach those of several countries in Africa.
- If Black America were its own country, it would rank 16th in people living with HIV; 105th in life expectancy and 88th in infant mortality worldwide.
If prevention is the key, than shouldn't we all be doing everything we can to prevent HIV from getting worse in this country, while we still can.
2 comments:
While as major HIV/AIDS funding is concentrated in Africa, AIDS kills more people in sun-saharan Africa than else where in the world. Even the much mentioned concentration of funding does not anywhere near the need we have on ground.
In Africa, there are 60 million orphaned and vulnerable children. In 2006, 2.1 million people died of from AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The fight against AIDS and its funding needs to be given a human face if we are to achieve the set targets in reducing HIV/AIDS in the world.
Moses Ntenga, Uganda
I have always learned you must take care of home first and you are right the impact of AIDS in Africa is heart wrenching; however, AIDS hurt everyone. How can our government provide more dollars in Africa and cut funding here? This makes no sense whatsoever. Before we know it, we will eradicate ourselves because the government (excuse my expression) is doing a piss-poor job on educating Americans on this subject.
Education is priceless and no amount of money will be able to rid HIV/AIDS from Africa or America or the rest of the world. But I still feel we MUST TAKE CARE OF HOME FIRST.
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