AIDS fight falling behind

AIDS has become such an overwhelming disease that researchers believe it will become the third leading cause of death worldwide within 25 years.

It's a sobering thought as the planet observes World AIDS Day today. AIDS — acquired immunodeficiency syndrome — accounts for about 2.8 million deaths every year. Researchers estimate 120 million people could die from the disease in the next 25 years.

Advocates for AIDS patients say governments and international agencies are failing to meet their goals of providing treatments for AIDS/HIV in the developing world, particularly among women and children. Despite the fact that effective drugs preventing the transmission of the AIDS virus from mother to child at the time of birth are relatively inexpensive and readily available, they reach only 9 percent of HIV-positive women in Africa, according to the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition.

On a broader scale, the coalition says goals set by the United Nations and the Group of 8 industrialized nations to have 9.8 million people undergoing AIDS treatment by 2010 are "woefully behind" in their targets. At current rates, the world will fall 5 million short of that goal, the coalition warns.

While many government and international aid agencies have been well-intentioned about addressing AIDS on a global basis, coalition members say the "follow-through is abysmal."

This is obviously a world public health threat. But for the continent of Africa, which could conceivably lose an entire generation to AIDS, the economic and political implications are profound. Experts say multipronged prevention strategies are required to prevent an onslaught of new AIDS cases, including abstinence, the development of a vaccine and condom distribution.

While condom distribution may strike some as politically and morally objectionable, Dr. Richard Hays, professor of epidemiology at London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Associated Press that the harsh reality is, "It will be increasingly hard to sustain treatment programs unless we can turn off the tap of new HIV infections."

World health experts say the global campaign against AIDS is at a critical stage. New estimates by Dr. Colin Mathers and Dejan Loncar of the World Health Organization say at least 117 million people will die from AIDS between now and 2030. However, the estimate drops to 89 million deaths if new HIV infections are prevented and access to life-prolonging antiretrovirals is increased.

That's still a staggering number of deaths, but it demonstrates how the future my be affected by steps taken now by governments and the international relief agencies.