Monday was World AIDS Day, a day that has decreased in prominence because of the growing awareness of the problems posed by the disease. Nonetheless, it is necessary to take a day to reflect on the social, economic, political, moral and ethical effects that AIDS has on the global community.
The number of AIDS victims world-wide is staggering: Forty-two million people across the globe, including more than 3 million children, are infected with HIV, the disease that causes AIDS. In 2003, AIDS caused over 3 million deaths worldwide. Seventy percent of those affected with AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is spreading rapidly in the dense population centers of India and China. The AIDS epidemic has reached crisis levels.
As mentioned above, AIDS is not simply a disease, it has crippling effect on the economy, human capital and culture of the many nations that it affects. Particularly in Africa, AIDS has contributed to the further impoverishment of large segments of the population. In areas struggling to break into the technological and industrial age, and to build the national post-colonial infrastructures necessary for everyday life, average working age individuals are struck down by AIDS. Men and women are severely weakened or killed during their most productive years, preventing the establishment of a stable working class, and precluding wide-scale participation in higher education. In addition, social stigmas come to surround the affliction, and those with the disease are forced to go untreated in order to avoid being ostracized by their communities. AIDS is not merely a physiological disease, it is an economic, social and cultural pathogen as well.
One member of the Duke community paying a prominent role in the battle against AIDS is Melinda Gates. Earlier this semester, she resigned from the Board of Trustees so that she could focus more of her attention on running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which among other humanitarian causes, has donated over $500 million in the battle against AIDS. This money is used for education, prevention, research and other forms of personal support for people and families affected.
Melinda Gates sets an example for all of us to follow. Even without the financial resources to contribute, one can still do numerous things at a local level to help fight the battle. Individuals can attempt to raise awareness about AIDS among their peers, keep informed and inform others about the terrible effects of the disease. At a personal level, people can practice safe sex to stop the dissemination of the disease.
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