AIDS Pandemic Worse Than Ever

Here's some cheery news: The UN reports 4.8 million new cases of HIV worldwide -- the highest total EVER since HIV was identified in the early '80s. More than 20 million people have already died and anywhere from 34 million to 43 million people are HIV positive. Asia is at a tipping point where numbers could start to explode. And according to the New York Times, "health workers have less than half of the $12 billion that is needed for treatment and prevention by the end of 2005." In other words, a measly $7 billion today could have a huge impact on saving millions of lives and saving entire countries from disaster. This isn't just a humanitarian good -- it's a pragmatic, reasonable step that would serve our country's economic and security needs. Meanwhile, Bush continues to politicize world AIDS funding, isolating and ignoring groups that dare to mention condoms, and insisting on name brand drugs when generics could save three times as many people for the same cost.