THE EMERGENCY OF AIDS

Africa has been hit harder by the HIV/AIDS virus than any other region of the world. More than 17 million Africans have died from AIDS and another 30 million are infected with the HIV virus, approximately 1.5 million of whom are children.

Every day in Africa:

HIV/AIDS kills 6,500 people
9,500 people are infected with the HIV virus
1,400 newborn babies are infected during childbirth or by their mothers' milk

People with AIDS don't suffer alone-the disease attacks their families and communities as well. 11 million African children have already lost one or both parents to AIDS, and unless we take serious action now, there will be more than 20 million AIDS orphans by the end of the decade. That is a whole generation of Africans growing up without parental love and guidance, without culture and family traditions, often without going to school or even learning the skills to farm or make a living.

AIDS has stripped out an entire generation of parents, farmers, doctors and leaders. Imagine going to a village and finding only children and grandparents left alive - that is already happening in countries like Malawi. Millions of children will have lost not only their parents, but their teachers, nurses and friends too. Businesses are losing their workers, governments are losing their civil servants, families are losing their breadwinners. As a result, entire communities are devastated and economies that are already crippled by poverty, debts and unfair trade policies are further compromised.

While the moral case stands alone as a reason to act, richer countries also have economic and security reasons to fight this emergency. As we've seen in the case of Afghanistan, devastated, unstable states can become breeding grounds for terrorists. Seeing Africa as our neighbour, and acting now to stop the spread of AIDS, is not just the moral thing to do - it's the practical thing.

The good news is that we know what works. Successes in a handful of countries such as Uganda and Senegal have shown that HIV rates can be brought down through effective AIDS prevention campaigns. Education, media campaigns, and community work with the must vulnerable can stop people from getting the HIV virus in the first place.