Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Sunday, December 8, 2002
While people in developed countries who contracted HIV can live for years, Africans contracting HIV were condemned to death, said Stephen Lewis, the U.N. top adviser on AIDS in Africa.
"There must be something terrible with the moral quotient of the world," he said at the start of a three-day visit to Malawi.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to about 70 percent of the world's AIDS infections.
Aid workers say the epidemic has claimed the lives of about 7 million agricultural workers since 1995, which has added to widespread food shortages.
More than 14 million people in southern Africa are threatened by starvation.
The world's response to this double humanitarian crisis has been very sluggish, said Lewis, a former Canadian legislator.
An appeal launched four years ago by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for countries to donate $10 billion to a fund to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria had so far collected only $2.1 billion, Lewis said.
No funding has been forthcoming to fight a rampant AIDS epidemic in politically troubled Zimbabwe.
"This, regrettably, results in death in Africa - AIDS is tearing apart the heart of Africa," Lewis said. "We know there is a lot of money out there, we know there is plenty food ... but something must be profoundly wrong somewhere, something is morally wrong somewhere."
Lewis, who went to Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe before coming to Malawi, said he hoped his visit would focus world attention on southern Africa's humanitarian crisis.
021208
AP021215
Copyright © 2002 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .