February 28, 2004
IMPERFECT, BUT UNPRECEDENTED:
Combating AIDS: The Bush administration's global AIDS initiative has its faults, but it's a start. (Mother Jones, January/February 2004)
On Tuesday, the Bush administration announced details of its much-anticipated global strategy on HIV-AIDS, including approval for the first $350 million in grants to religious groups and humanitarian organizations to fight the disease. The money is the first installment of $15 billion worth of aid to be distributed to fifteen African and Caribbean nations over the next five years.The plan, which Bush first announced in his 2003 State of the Union address, got a mixed reception from AIDS activists, who say it's short on specifics and has been too long in coming. But they also recognize that the $15 billion plan, whatever its imperfections, is by far the largest pledge ever proposed by any nation to combat the AIDS epidemic. [...]
Kate Carr, executive director of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, commented “The money's now available, the teams are in place and the dollars are going to flow.” Marsha Martin of AIDS Action praised Bush for "unprecedented leadership.”
The compassion in Mr. Bush's conservatism seems to confuse the heck out of the Left (and Right).
Posted by Orrin Judd at February 28, 2004 8:00 AM
The February issue of 'Discover' magazine has a great article about AIDS in Africa, and why it's believed to be so much more virulent there.
Unfortunately, I'm not a subscriber, so I can't send the article to you.
The gist of it is, apparently in west African societies, it's common and normal for people to have an "official" relationship, a spouse or committed partner, and also one or two long-term "unofficial" relationships.
Although HIV is not easy to get, as the chances of infection during any one sexual encounter are far less than 1%, because an infected person is having sex regularly with two or three people, and they in turn with two or three people, once HIV enters the web of relationships, eventually everyone will get it.
Strictly in terms of AIDS, not any other STD, one would actually be better off going "bareback" with a string of prostitutes than being part of a family of long-term relationships that includes one person with HIV.
It's not spreading to men that way though.
Posted by: oj at February 28, 2004 9:58 AM