In his 2003 State of the Union Address, President Bush received loud applause when he announced $15 billion to fight AIDS, Malaria, and TB. Over a year later, only $350 million have been committed, and only a fraction of those infected in the world’s poorest nations are getting proper care.
Stalled funding, poor infrastructure, and a fight over the use of drugs is causing treatment efforts to fall behind, while 3,000,000 people die each year. U.N. Special Envoy Stephen Lewis says there are no excuses left. Somewhere around 40,000,000 people are infected worldwide, and while the U.N. and WHO plans go begging, wealthy nations plead their own economic priorities and do little to help.
Guests:
Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
Wafaa El-Sadr, Director of Global HIV Care and Treament Programs at the Columbia Mailman School of Health and Chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at Harlem Hospital
Poloholo Ramothwala, Assistant National Organizer for the Treatment Action Campaign, Johannesberg, South Africa