United States scientists reported the first clinical evidence ofthe disease now known as AIDS in 1981. Since that time, knowledgein this country of the affliction has increased exponentially.
Gone are the days when Ryan White, who caught AIDS from a bloodtransfusion, was banned from attending school in Kokomo becauseparents feared their children would catch it from sharing a waterfountain with the boy.
Gone too are the days when being diagnosed HIV-positive was seenas an immediate death sentence. Because complex drug cocktails cankeep the disease in check for years, many Americans fear it lessthan in decades past.
But there is still plenty reason to be afraid. Over 36 millionpeople have AIDS today, according to the Centers for DiseaseControl and the UN. Half of new HIV infections occur among youngpeople ages 15-25. In the United States, AIDS is the leading causeof death for blacks ages 25-44.
World AIDS Day, celebrated earlier this week, is designed toremind us of these disturbing facts, and to memorialize those whohave lost their lives to the disease.
So too is the AIDS quilt, a portion of which will be displayedin the Cooper Science Building rotunda Thursday, Friday, Monday andTuesday.
World AIDS Day and the AIDS quilt also seek to point ourattention outside our national borders. In Africa, more than 16million people have already died of AIDS, according to the CDC andthe UN. The pandemic kills 10 times more Africans every year thanall the continent's wars combined.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan won the Nobel Peace Prize forhis work to fight HIV and AIDS. He has called for $7-10 billion tofight the global pandemic.
The United States comprises 25-percent of the global economy. Ifinternational aid were given in proportion to each country's shareof wealth, the United States should spend $2.5 billion each yearfighting AIDS. Currently, we spend $250 million.
To fight back against the still shocking numbers of people dyingeach year, we must remain aware of what is at stake both at homeand abroad, and we must spend the money needed to combat theillness.
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