by Laila Khan

Created on: June 26, 2008

If you ask Bono, AIDS has been addressed. He will admit, I'm sure, that the problem is nowhere near fixed, but for his purposes it has been addressed. I hate to criticize an action with such great motives, but the large amount of money that has been raised for AIDS in Africa has not addressed the problem. The only way to truly address the AIDS epidemic in Africa is with infrastructure.

AIDS itself must first be understood before any progress can be made. People do not die from AIDS. AIDS has not killed anyone to date. AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, breaks down a person's immune system so that they cannot fight off diseases that healthy people can. For example, a person without AIDS can get a cold or the flu and live through it easily. For a person with AIDS, a cold or the flu can be deadly because their immune system is so weak that it cannot fight the disease at all. In Africa, people with AIDS die from tuberculosis, malaria, and many other diseases that barely exist outside of that continent.

The problem with AIDS funding is two-fold. First, there is no way to ensure that the money raised actually goes to targeting AIDS. Many of the governments in Africa are so corrupt that millions of dollars of aid is lost to dictators and militias. Without a reliable system for distributing the money, funding is ineffective. Secondly, the money that is not siphoned off by the government is typically directed for AIDS and only AIDS. This means that there are new, expensive AIDS centers that have funding for specialized treatments and medicines. Because these centers only have funding for treating AIDS, people who have tuberculosis or malaria cannot be treated there. Their AIDS can be treated, but the disease that is actually killing them cannot be. Without a basic health care system, AIDS cannot be stopped.

Yet another problem concerning infrastructure exists in education. The lack of education not only dooms the people of Africa to continued poverty, but also contributes to the spread of AIDS. Put simply, the people do not know enough about AIDS to actually do anything about it. Many do not know the risks concerning AIDS, and, as such, do not know how to protect themselves. Also in many cases, the information that they are given is incorrect and dangerous. In South Africa, the Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala Msimang, suggested that the best way to cure HIV/AIDS is through a diet high in garlic and beetroot. She does not encourage the use of medicines or treatments that have been proven to fight AIDS, instead she promotes these folk remedies that do nothing to stem the spread of AIDS.

Only when there is basic infrastructure in government, healthcare, and education can the AIDS epidemic truly be addressed in Africa. The efforts of celebrities, wealthy donors, and caring individuals will all be in vain until Africa's infrastructure problem is resolved.

Learn more about this author, Laila Khan.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.