Silly Request to Increase PEPFAR Funding

World AIDS Day is tomorrow, Saturday, December 1. Fresh faced, well-meaning medical students from several schools gathered at in Chicago's Loop at noon today to make a silly plea for a naive attempt to cure a serious disease simply by throwing more money at corrupt African dictatorships.

The students urged politicians to spend $50 billion to fight "global AIDS." Some signs urged Democrats to reform PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). Another urged the "next President" to reform it. According to one student, "reform" means spending more money to battle the deadly disease. AIDS is caused by HIV, a virus that is contracted when bodily fluids are exchanged. Examples of that can range from a mother's breast milk to a shared syringe to unprotected sexual contact.

"Our nation pledged $15 billion over five years for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in many of the poorest nations on Earth...This investment has yielded the best possible return - saved lives," said President George W. Bush, as quoted at http://www.pepfar.gov/.

So how will spending 35 billion dollars more help? I don't know, and neither did the students. I asked several why they wanted $50 billion. One student said that "the more we spend the better chance we have to fight it." Okay, I said, then why stop at $50 billion? Why not ask for $60 billion or better yet, $100 billion? "Don't be ridiculous," she said. But what is magic about the number $50 billion, I persisted. "Well...," she said, and turned away from me. It's a serious question. Throwing gobs of money at problems is not always the cure that is needed.

No amount of money will educate the hundreds of millions of ignorant people in Africa who still believe that raping a 12 year old girl will cure them of AIDS. The nations of Africa have government controlled media that can pump that message out 24/7 for no more than they spend on their media currently. So, how will spending $50 billion U.S. dollars help?

No amount of money will convince African hospitals that they need to clean up their act, literally. Decades of urging and teaching by Western doctors has gone straight over the heads of many hospital administrators and nurses in many parts of Africa. Their poor hygiene practices contribute significantly to the spread of AIDS and of other diseases.

Another group of equally well-meaning and fresh faced naifs gathered at 5:00 p.m. in the same spot. This time, the group was World Vision. They were excited to be embarking on a walk of "6,000 steps tonight to commemorate the 6,000 children that die everyday of AIDS." But the literature says it's for 6,000 orphans. Whatever, the 6,000 steps would take them only up to Oak Street, roughly a mile north.

Wow, what sacrifice. What a hardship they were willing to endure. How brave. How futile.