U.N.: AIDS May Kill 80M Africans by 2025

[lovuian]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=8&u=/ap/20050304/ap_on_he_me/africa_aids

U.N.: AIDS May Kill 80M Africans by 2025

14 minutes ago Top Stories - AP


By ANTHONY MITCHELL, Associated Press Writer

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - More than 80 million Africans may die from AIDS (news - web sites) by 2025, the United Nations (news - web sites) said in a report released Friday, and infections could soar to 90 million — or more than 10 percent of the continent's population — if more isn't done soon to fight the disease.








More than 25 million African have been infected with HIV (news - web sites), the virus that causes AIDS. UNAIDS (news - web sites) estimated that nearly $200 billion is needed to save 16 million people from death and 43 million people from becoming infected, but donors have pledged nowhere near that amount.


In its report, "AIDS in Africa," the U.N. agency examines three potential scenarios for the continent in the next 20 years depending on the international community's response.

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What a devastating disease!!!

[thecrow]

1. Isn't this more important that "Saving" Social Security? n/t

[SoCalDem]

2. Rightwingers will not see this as a negative thing

They see disease as "retribution" for "bad living"....and a side benefit...It will be easier to grab those lucious natural resources.

Africa is a HUGE place with lots of gorgeous coastline, oil, diamonds, minerals, TIMBER, and so much more..

Righwingers have always seen Africa as "wasted" on "ignorant savages". The colonizations of the 1800's were about trying to get these resources as they "pacified" the natives. What they discovered, was that to "preach the word", they also had to start educating the people. The locals soon saw that they were being exploited, and eventually the "colonizers" got tossed out. They have been trying to get back in ever since.

AIDS offers them that way back in. First by feigning humanitarian aid, in talk more than action, though.
Second, with patience as the disease decimates the population.

The outcome will be either of two, as I see it.

A smaller, and more fearful population will capitulate again to western interference, in exchange for a pittance of protection against the disease, or a truly devastated populace will roll over and enter back into servitude of the new western masters.

There is a third way too. The upsurge of terrorism as the elderly and middle agers die from AIDS, and a couple of generations of "wild children" try to raise themselves...uneducated, angry and open to any option that feeds and clothes them.

Gangs of Africa..:(

[Sympleesmshn]

3. I was on the Mock South African cabinet at a Model UN conference...

and we spent 17 hours debating and came up with nothing... Some scary things did happen in our mock crisis, Bush cut our AIDS funding because we did not push abstinence enough. We also found a major factor in cost is the western drug companies refusing to cut prices. AIDS is not a disease, it is an epidemic... It does more then kill too, it destroys a lot of lives.