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Vision, Involvement, Resources Key to Combating AIDS
“The sooner we act, the sooner we’ll see results,” Gates foundation doctor says

By Jennifer Lytle

SEATTLE, May 8, 2003 — World Vision’s Kathleen Corey opened the event at Town Hall last night on a sobering note, saying that no statistic can reflect the immense human tragedy inflicted by HIV and AIDS. Today, 42 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. Already, 25 million have died.




In a forum entitled “World on the Edge: The Hidden Faces of AIDS,” audience members heard about the devastating impact of the disease. But they also learned that there is reason for hope and optimism.

Gayle, Zulu, and Bunting at Town Hall




"We know a lot about what can be done," declared Dr. Helene Gayle, a senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Gayle and Princess Kasune Zulu—a Zambian woman who is HIV-positive and works for World Vision as an advocate on the issue of AIDS—shared the stage with Seattle Post-Intelligencer executive editor Ken Bunting, moderator for the evening.

Gayle told the gathering that AIDS causes early death and brings great pain to societies. The disease “has grossly disrupted the natural life cycle,” Gayle said. Some examples are chilling. In Botswana today, a 15-year-old boy has an 80 percent chance of dying of HIV/AIDS.

While statistics tell part of the story, Gayle emphasized that people must think of what HIV/AIDS is doing at the household level—contributing to breakdown of the family, diverting resources for education to the care of ill relatives, and subjecting families to lost income.

Gayle called HIV a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and a socially transmitted disease, explaining the latter by saying that AIDS is increasingly a disease of those who are impoverished and disenfranchised.

Citing Uganda’s success in reducing the rate of infections in adults from 30 percent to 12 percent between 1992 and 1999, she listed several factors leading to that outcome: a political commitment to act, adequate resources, a strategic vision, and broad involvement of the community.

Gayle stressed that there “is not one magic bullet” that will stop AIDS. Rather, what is needed is a broad, multi-sectoral strategy including better treatment of STDs, access to counseling, anti-retroviral drugs for HIV-positive mothers, and targeting specific segments of the population. Other strategies include finding innovative tools and technologies, developing models to improve infrastructure and human capacity, and encouraging corporations to become more involved.


During a question and answer period, Gayle cautioned the audience that even if there were a vaccine in seven to 10 years, it probably would be only somewhat effective.



Town Hall audience


"We need to rely on behavior change,” she said. “We still need a combination of approaches to get the results we want."

Zulu began by saying her story echoes that of many other young people in Africa. Now 27, Zulu lost both her parents to AIDS. Six years ago, she and her husband learned they are HIV-positive. She feels blessed that her two young daughters tested negative. Zulu is passionate about empowering women so that they can make informed decisions and protect themselves. In Zambia, she hosts “Positive Living,” a radio program that often focuses on why women are vulnerable to HIV. Zulu believes AIDS is preventable through education. She also maintains that abstinence is the best way for young people to remain HIV-negative.

Through her involvement in AIDS education and advocacy, Zulu wants to help people become less fearful about being tested, and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.

Responding to Bunting’s question about how those present could contribute to a solution, Zulu and Gayle urged people to send a message to Congress about the importance of HIV/AIDS. A funding package proposed by President Bush and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives currently awaits Senate action.

Both speakers made clear that now is the time for people to do something and that there is a role for everyone. Zulu said, “Without networking and collaborating we are not going to win this fight.” “This is not an issue that any society has an easy time with,” Gayle acknowledged, “but we have to think about this as a public health emergency.” Her formula is straightforward: “The sooner we act, the sooner we’ll see results, and the greater the results will be.”

For information on rebroadcast times of this forum, visit www.tvw.org


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