In the Spirit of World AIDS Day

Hopefully you have all seen the main quad transformed into a gigantic visual display for World AIDS Day (December 1), reminding you of this modern crisis. SUSHI, in an effort to make students aware of the AIDS pandemic, had spent the morning of December 1, 2005 covering the trees with red bands, each band representing about 1 million people living with AIDS. Today, about 40 million people live with this virus and about 8,500 people die daily from it. There is a shortage of health workers and supplies ranging from disposable gloves to necessary treatments for those who are infected. In particular, in Uganda there is a recognized need for the latest in textbook and electronic learning materials so that they can stay up-to-date with the virus. In response to these problems, many organizations are stepping up their game in efforts to keep up with this literally growing issue.On the college level, student chapters of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and American Medical Student Association (AMSA) have collected medical supplies to send to the countries that need them, Africa as their primary target having the most cases and therefore the most shortages and the most need. It is estimated that at least $650 million is needed to strengthen the health services in Africa alone and PHR is calling on President Bush to give this needed amount. The money would go to increasing the salaries of health care workers, rebuilding the health infrastructure, and training for health workers to protect themselves from HIV while working as well as training for community health workers. The US Congress has approved $3 billion in AIDS funding for 2006, $550 million allocated to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. However, the latter amount falls $600 million short from the initial amount suggested. PHR has addressed this issue by signing onto a coalition letter to Congress demanding for a greater amount to be added to the Global Fund as well as indicating the need for an Emergency Supplemental Bill, providing $150 million for basic services including HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care for those affected.

Another interesting and significant fact: the US has a budget of $2.34 trillion. I mention this to prove that the US, simply stated, has plenty of money to spend. About 0.18% of US gross domestic product goes to foreign assistance. In summary, a fraction of 0.18% of the US gross domestic product is used to fund programs to deal with the AIDS pandemic. Compared to the defense budget of $429 billion, the NASA budget of $16.39 billion, and the energy budget of $23.3 billion, this is a pitiful amount.

So, now that you are aware of the issues, you may now ask yourself what is my responsibility in the matter and how can I help? There are several simple ways to help: write an article that details your knowledge on the topic and present an informed opinion by writing a letter to the editor for the Trinity Tripod, the Hartford Courant, or a hometown newspaper; fax a letter of concern instead of emailing your senator because it is easier to delete an email than it is to throw away a fax; designate a date and time with a group of activists to call your senator asking that they advocate to increase the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria letting them know that you are aware and concerned about the issue; attend in-district meetings to stay aware of the changes and progress that has been made in dealing with the AIDS crisis; do something creative by making some kind of visual display or organize an event or demonstration so that the public is constantly reminded of this world crisis. We should make it our business to stay informed on all issues in this ever-shrinking and ever-interconnecting global economy, and, in the spirit of World AIDS Day, we should take the responsibility as educated citizens to make it known that we care.