Africa

At the end of the year 2000, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO) have estimated that 36.1 million people were living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). AIDS, caused by HIV, is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that attacks the immune system and takes about five to ten years before killing its victim. Treatments for AIDS are drug cocktails, but they only slow the disease down. Drug cocktails have to …

…than their average annual income. The worlds’ wealthiest countries could easily help pay for treatment in Botswana. There needs to be more funds set up for poor countries that cannot afford treatment. If the wealthy countries of the world helped to pay for the treatment, millions of people could be saved from HIV and AIDS. They could also help Botswana to mass-produce generic drugs, which would bring the annual cost of treatment down to US$200.