The Crisis Is Only Just Beginning?

Per Wikipedia: "AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children."

AIDS is an epidemic. In that epidemic, much has been done to combat the virus. It's been 20 years and in our financially declining country, I wonder how well our money has been spent? Don't get me wrong, I think we ought to continue to take steps to promote AIDS awareness and fight the disease. But, I think, we must also realize that it is one of many diseases out there, with others having a far worse impact than AIDS does. As staggering as the numbers above are, more children die from pneumonia than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.

"In Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and elsewhere, donations for HIV projects routinely outstrip the entire national health budgets. In a 2006 report, Rwandan officials noted a 'gross misallocation of resources' in health: $47 million went to HIV, $18 million went to malaria, the country's biggest killer, and $1 million went to childhood illnesses... But across Africa, about 1.5 million doctors and nurses are still needed, and hospitals regularly run out of basic medicines."

AIDS is a global problem. But I think it has received the financing and awareness that it has, frankly, because it's a disease that Americans face. We like to talk about AIDS, it's an acceptable part of our culture. How many people want to talk about children all over the world dying of diarrhea? How many people even think that that still occurs today?

I hope I haven't offended anyone with this. I think that AIDS research and funding are great and want to promote them. At the same time, I look around and think: "The money is going to run out sometime, who needs it the most?". I really hope that it doesn't run out and we can continue to fight suffering of all kinds and on all fronts. But as today is supposed to remind us, it takes awareness to make that happen.