Posted on 12/01/2003 3:33:59 AM PST by ejdrapes
By TONY BLAIR RIGHT across the globe today, countries will mark World AIDS Day. It is an important chance for us all to reflect on the impact of this terrible epidemic and how we must work together to tackle it. The scale and devastation of HIV and AIDS is colossal. Sixty million people have been infected. Twenty million have already died. It is a human tragedy on a massive scale. No corner of the globe has escaped. It is the biggest killer in Africa. The fastest increases in infection are in the countries of the former Soviet Union. And there is no reason for complacency here in the UK. While our levels of infection remain low compared to many of our European neighbours, they are still increasing. We are improving treatment at home and this will be an increasing priority for international efforts. But with no cure or vaccination available, education and prevention — where we are putting increased effort — remain the best way to protect people. But what is particularly tragic about this catastrophe is that many of those countries worst affected are already the poorest on our planet. Two in three people infected live in sub-Saharan Africa. It is predicted that by 2010 AIDS will have halved life expectancy in Botswana in just two decades. As I heard for myself when I visited Mozambique, nurses are being lost faster than they can be trained. But the consequences go far beyond the immense challenges of health and health care. HIV/AIDS is not just the biggest problem these countries face. It is their biggest barrier to tackling poverty and building a better life for their people. The sickness, loss of life and caring demands are destroying their chances of economic growth. Africa’s annual wealth might be as much as a fifth higher without HIV/AIDS. It would be difficult for any country alone to deal with such a terrible tragedy — impossible for countries already gripped by poverty. It needs the whole world community acting together. And it is not just a moral duty, strong as that is. It is also in our own national interests. Unless we act now and decisively, the deepening poverty and instability will reach far beyond the parts of the world worst affected. But we shouldn’t despair. We have also learnt that decisive and co-ordinated action by governments and the international community can make a real difference. Uganda, Senegal, Thailand and Brazil are among those countries that have all cut rates of infection dramatically. We have to ensure their success is copied across the world. I am proud of the lead that this Government and this country have taken both in pushing HIV/AIDS up the world agenda and in the dramatically increased financial and practical help we are giving. We are now, by far, the world’s second biggest bilateral donor — after the US — on HIV/AIDS. Our funding has increased seven-fold over six years. We are directly active in more than 40 countries. And we were instrumental internationally in setting up the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and in providing the funding to help guarantee its long-term future. But we can’t rest on these achievements. There is too much ground to make up, far too much to do, as President Bush and I discussed with African and international experts at Downing Street on his visit to the UK ten days ago. That is why today we are publishing a UK Call for action. It sets out the steps we will take over the coming months as we prepare for our Presidency of the G8 — the world’s leading industrial countries — and the European Union in 2005 when we will ensure HIV/AIDS remains an international priority. I am determined that this country will not just step up its efforts directly to tackle HIV/AIDS but will continue to offer the leadership needed to get the world to focus on what we must do together. For I have no doubt that tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic at home and abroad is vital for every single one of us.PM: 'We have a moral duty to help'
Excuse me, teacher. May I be excused?
keep your fly up and fly right....no aids....and dont confuse an exit for an entrance and you should have it made.
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