Botswana shows success in treating AIDS

[Thom Little]

In 2002, Botswana became the first African country to offer free treatment to all who needed it. With more than a third of adults infected, many doubted it could fulfill the promise.

But the largely desert nation now has half the estimated 110,000 people in immediate need on life-prolonging anti-retroviral medicines, showing that treatment is possible on the world's poorest continent.

"If HIV was left to take its course, this country would be literally destroyed both economically and socially," said Segolame Ramotlhwa, operations manager for the national treatment program dubbed Masa, or New Dawn. "Not treating is not an option."

AIDS has ripped through sub-Saharan Africa, killing 2.4 million people this year alone, according to U.N. figures. In Botswana, life expectancy has plunged to 39 years, AIDS patients overwhelm hospital wards and funeral homes offer 24-hour service.



http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10642125/

[ecoalex]

1. Why don't they cure, not just treat aids Tetrasil infusion cures aids

There is a CDC patented vaccine for aids.

Too bad noone wants to cure aids, or use the vaccine WHY? Drug Cos profits.

Info: www.boydgraves.com

[TheWraith]

2. Vaccine does not equal cure.

I'm not sure what Tetrasil is or how effective it is, but a vaccine is not a cure. A vaccine prevents infection, but it can't do anything for those already infected.

[1932]

3. Botswana has had the fastest growing economy in the world a couple years

in a row in the last five or six years.

One argument I read about their economic growth is that it's founded on a fair distribution of land. Since Botswana was never really colonized (it was used as a source of labor for South African gold mines, but never really had their land stolen and given to a few wealthy land owners) it didn't have to go through the politically and socially disruptive process of redistributing land fairly. It already was.

Also, it looks like they're using their wealth to build up the infrastructure too in a Keynesian-New Deal sort of way (and that includes the health infrastructure). And, I bet that as Keynes and FDR believed, investing in the infrastructure will create more wealth and health and happiness.

[VirginiaDem]

4. They're also the least corrupt country in the region by far so

establishing clear cause and effect might be tricky: low corruption could be leading to better economy, either or both of which could be leading to better HIV response; or, per your theory, original land redistribution could have helped reform economy and/or corruption, which lead to better HIV response. Either way, though, this is not the good news it first appears because Botswana is an exceptional case--it would be tough, for example, to simply transport Botswana's successful system into, say, Nigeria, which is an economic/political/corrupt failure. Or nearly so...

[1932]

5. If fair distribution of land results in a fair distribution of economic

and political power, you can see that how that would then lead to a less corrupt government (as you note). Corruption is almost certainly a side-effect of incredible polarization of economic and political power.

For Nigeria, and other countries, the key would be reducing the polarization of power. I think it's the oil industry in Nigeria more than the distribution of land that causes power polarization. The solution, however, is the same, and it's Keynes and FDR who provide the answers: invest in infrastructure and concern yourself with distibution of power and wealth.

[VirginiaDem]

6. Here's where cause and effect comes into play

This is why development in the modern world is so difficult--hardcore corruption, epitomized by the case of Nigeria, makes any type of reform, Keynesian or otherwise, problematic. You make a very interesting point that the root cause may be "polarization of economic and political power." I normally view this as an effect rather than cause. Gives me something to think about...

[Posteritatis]

7. Botswana's amazed me since I first started reading about that region

It's a strange contrast; with the development situation, and especially with the HIV/AIDS situation, they're one of the most spectacularly screwed countries on Earth. On the other hand, they're not flinging (much) blame, turning on one another, sinking into despair, etc etc etc.; I'm getting a vibe of "okay, we're in trouble, so let's get our national shit together and Do Something About It."

Basically there's some pretty impressive maturity about how they're facing things, something I haven't seen in a lot of countries, developed or undeveloped. That and they seem to be making use of that strange concept known as "foresight" or "planning," as well.

It's another one of those things where you can find hope and success in the midst of darkness and catastrophe, I think.

[mom cat]

8. We should borrow some of their planners to deal with global

warming.