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HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the greatest threat to global health and security. There are more than 33.4 million people worldwide infected by HIV/AIDS, and about 16,000 new cases every day. Last year, 600,000 children died because of HIV/AIDS and another 8.2 million were left motherless. By 2010, life expectancy in some regions will drop by over 30 years down to the mid-twenties. The numbers are staggering, but they only allude to greater problems. Problems that will be with us for generations, regardless of how successful we are in developing vaccines or new drug therapies.

The sheer scope of this epidemic has altered both the social and the economic realities in many of the hardest hit areas. For instance, in South Africa, where almost ten percent of the population has been infected, the government has said that economic growth will slow by a full percent annually because of AIDS. UNAIDS has stated that in the developing world, infection rates are as high as four times higher in the military than in the civilian world. This will soon lead to a major destabilization of militaries throughout the developing world, as military leadership erodes the ability of nations to meet their security needs and commitments. If the United States is to help maintain global security, then we as a nation must realize that HIV/AIDS could have a massive and very negative affect on global stability.

Underneath these global concerns are the day to day decisions that individuals, communities and governments have to make. For example, a recent State Department report sums up the governmental healthcare crisis in this way, "Governments will confront trade-offs along at least three dimensions; treating AIDS versus preventing HIV; treating AIDS versus treating other illnesses; and spending for healthcare versus spending on other objectives." The general health of the developing world has suffered a setback unlike any other. Individuals and families are going bankrupt paying for funerals and communities are losing their future as the young die before the old.

It is at this point when we must realize that this downward spiral is threatening more and more of the world. Africa has been the hardest hit, but now there is evidence that Asia and India are on the brink and will soon be plunged into a crisis many times worse than Africa. And while the numbers are not quite as large, Eastern Europe too seems poised to see a sharp upturn in infection rates. It is at this point when we must realize that this downward spiral will not stop at our borders.

Congressional Task Force on International HIV/AIDS
- Membership for the 110th Congress