Free Hiv/Aids Medication
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- Category: Politics: Moral Issues
- Date Submitted: 04/27/2011 01:49 PM
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"Whether International Pharmaceutical Companies Should Provide HIV/AIDS Medications to Africa Free of Charge"
In 1991, one of the best basketball players in the world, "Magic" Johnson announced that he was HIV positive. Because he is a famous athlete, Johnson brought a lot of attention to HIV/AIDS, especially in the United States. Johnson drew attention to the fact that HIV/AIDS is disease anyone can get, no matter how important or how wealthy a person may be. Along with Johnson, other famous people have spoken out about HIV/AIDS. On December 1, World AIDS Day, concerts and speeches are held all over the world raising money to fight HIV/AIDS and informing people about it too. Many people, because of Johnson and other celebrities, have heard about HIV/AIDS, but many people do not know a lot about how it is affecting people all over the world.
Two-thirds of the 40 million people with HIV/AIDS live in Africa, that's almost 27 million people making Africa the epicenter of the disease. In addition, sub-Saharan Africa is the only place in the world where the number of women infected is higher than the number of men with HIV/AIDS. You have undoubtedly heard of the term epidemic, referring to a disease that spreads rapidly within a region or country. This term does not reflect the severity of HIV/AIDS. Since HIV/AIDS impacts so many people in every region of the world, medical scientists refer to the disease as a pandemic.
While HIV/AIDS has no cure, the best treatments for it are drugs called ARV’s(Anti-retroviral treatment). These are the drugs that have helped Magic Johnson live over a decade with HIV. ARV’s, though, are expensive - it can cost up to $10,000 to $15,000 a year for the treatment of one individual. The average per capita income, though, for most African countries is less than $300 a year, making the drugs too expensive for many people. It has been estimated that the cost of ARVs will have to be reduced by 95% before they can be affordable...
In 1991, one of the best basketball players in the world, "Magic" Johnson announced that he was HIV positive. Because he is a famous athlete, Johnson brought a lot of attention to HIV/AIDS, especially in the United States. Johnson drew attention to the fact that HIV/AIDS is disease anyone can get, no matter how important or how wealthy a person may be. Along with Johnson, other famous people have spoken out about HIV/AIDS. On December 1, World AIDS Day, concerts and speeches are held all over the world raising money to fight HIV/AIDS and informing people about it too. Many people, because of Johnson and other celebrities, have heard about HIV/AIDS, but many people do not know a lot about how it is affecting people all over the world.
Two-thirds of the 40 million people with HIV/AIDS live in Africa, that's almost 27 million people making Africa the epicenter of the disease. In addition, sub-Saharan Africa is the only place in the world where the number of women infected is higher than the number of men with HIV/AIDS. You have undoubtedly heard of the term epidemic, referring to a disease that spreads rapidly within a region or country. This term does not reflect the severity of HIV/AIDS. Since HIV/AIDS impacts so many people in every region of the world, medical scientists refer to the disease as a pandemic.
While HIV/AIDS has no cure, the best treatments for it are drugs called ARV’s(Anti-retroviral treatment). These are the drugs that have helped Magic Johnson live over a decade with HIV. ARV’s, though, are expensive - it can cost up to $10,000 to $15,000 a year for the treatment of one individual. The average per capita income, though, for most African countries is less than $300 a year, making the drugs too expensive for many people. It has been estimated that the cost of ARVs will have to be reduced by 95% before they can be affordable...