Thursday, July 22, 2010
At the major international conference on global AIDS policy in Vienna this week, the United States and other rich nations are backing away from their pledges to ensure universal access to AIDS treatment.
President Barack Obama responded to the U.S. economic crisis with trillions, between stimulus funds and bank bailouts. During the campaign and afterward, Obama promised $50 billion over five years for fighting AIDS alone. Every dollar the United States refuses to contribute now will cost human lives.
An additional $1 billion each year for three years is being requested for the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This amounts to less than one-tenth of 1 percent of what is being spent on stimulus and bank bailouts, but it would save millions of lives.
Bruce Preville
Los Gatos
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