DATE=5/1/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=AIDS SECURITY THREAT / UNAIDS
NUMBER=5-46237
BYLINE=JOE DE CAPUA
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United States has declared AIDS a threat
to national security, saying it could help topple
foreign governments, hinder economic and democratic
reforms and even trigger ethnic conflicts. The U-S
position is being praised by one official of UNAIDS
(U-N AIDS), the Joint U-N Program On H-I-V / AIDS, who
says he hopes other nations follow the U-S example.
V-O-A's Joe De Capua reports.
TEXT: UNAIDS estimates there are about 34 million
people worldwide infected with H-I-V, the virus that
causes AIDS. The vast majority of victims are in sub-
Saharan Africa - but there are rapidly spreading
epidemics in southern Asia and the former Soviet
Union.
UNAIDS Program Development Officer Godfrey Sikipa
(see-KEE-pa) says even though the numbers are high,
there's still time to save millions of others.
/// 1ST SIKIPA ACT ///
Despite the fact that 34 million are infected, a
lot more people are uninfected even in the worst
hit countries. You're talking about 80 or more
percent of the people who are not infected,
which means the world still needs to do a lot to
make sure that big majority remains uninfected.
/// END ACT ///
The Clinton Administration is doubling its budget
request to fight AIDS overseas to 254 million dollars.
While Mr. Sikipa praises the administration for
calling for more funds, he says more than one billion
dollars is needed in Africa alone.
/// 2ND SIKIPA ACT ///
The question is, could they have done more? Is
the world capable of doing more? I believe that
the world is capable of doing much more.
/// END ACT ///
He says more countries should declare AIDS a threat to
national security. For example, he says the president
of Botswana has announced the new national AIDS
council will be convened as a war council.
/// 3RD SIKIPA ACT ///
This epidemic is more than any war that most
countries have seen. In most wars, men go to
war as soldiers and they get killed. But their
wives or spouses at least remain looking after
the children. But this epidemic takes both
husband and wife. And you can't even begin to
draw parallels with the usual types of wars.
Because if we don't act today, I believe that
what we are seeing is probably child's play to
what could come.
/// END ACT ///
To critics who say the full mobilization against AIDS
has been too slow in coming, Mr. Sikipa says, better
late than never. (Signed)
NEB/JDC/KL
01-May-2000 14:46 PM EDT (01-May-2000 1846 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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