MARY DONOHOE,
Madam, - One would have imagined that the worst pandemic in human history, which has left 20 million people dead, a further 40 million infected and 12 million children orphaned, would have been awarded front-page coverage from your newspaper over the weekend that marked World Aids Day. However, it failed to capture such attention, just as it has failed to capture attention on the international stage.
Perhaps the answer lies in the demographic distribution of the disease. Of the 40 million people infected, 28.5 million live in sub-Saharan Africa, where so far an entire generation of young adults has been wiped out.
Furthermore, the profile of the disease in the developed world has changed. In recent years, highly effective "cocktails" of anti-AIDS drugs have led to a 66 per cent fall in deaths in the West. However, due to the crippling shortage of funds in the developing world, these drugs are not available, and the disease remains fatal with an enormous amount of attendant suffering, most of which is left untreated, again due to the lack of drugs.
Researchers have pointed out that AIDS is still in the early stages of its progression and that deaths are likely to increase from their current 3 million a year to more than 10 million over the next 10 years, the vast majority again taking place in the poorest countries.
According to the Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan, it will take a minimum of $10 billion a year to wage effective global campaigns against HIV/AIDS. So far the international fund has raised $3 billion.
Failure to act is a moral outrage. The devastating suffering that is taking place is unconscionable and largely unnecessary.
We have heard much about terrorism and security over the past year. AIDS is the real global terrorist, and until all life has equal value on this planet, no amount of aid will ensure our security. - Yours, etc.,
MARY DONOHOE,
Merlyn Road,
Dublin 4.