Kerry Cullinan, a South African advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness, said during a speech at Annie May Swift Hall on Monday night that health care in South Africa was in critical condition.
“HIV/AIDS has attracted a lot of global attention and also quite a lot of resources,” Cullinan said. “But people seem to be getting bored of it now.”
About 35 people attended the event, including many Medill students planning on completing their journalism residency in South Africa.
Despite President Barack Obama’s promise to increase funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Africa, “financial support has flatlined,” Cullinan said.
“We don’t think that the package is going to increase,” she said. “Obama has already said that he wants other diseases to be focused on.”
This approach is misguided because many other diseases are linked to AIDS, Cullinan said.
The current U.S. program that funds HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment is the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which was launched by President George W. Bush in 2003. The program also provides funding to combat tuberculosis and malaria.
“One of the things I don’t think people know is how successful PEPFAR has been,” Cullinan said. “It’s probably saved about 2 million lives. That’s something to be incredibly proud of.”
Since PEPFAR was established the mortality rate in South Africa has dropped 18 percent, Cullinan said. As of September 2008, the organization had supported treatment for more than 2 million people, according to its Web site.
HIV is a complex virus that mutates easily and requires treatment by three different types of medications, Cullinan said. The program provides funding for these essential medications, called antiretroviral drugs, to patients in need.
Although the program has been successful in many ways, HIV/AIDS continues to pose problems for South Africa, Cullinan said. Testing is done largely on pregnant women and those with other illnesses, and many people are fearful of using treatment until it is too late, she said.
“Testing is your entry point to getting help whether you’re positive or negative,” Cullinan said. If a person tests negative, the process deters them from engaging in risky behavior that may result in contracting the virus. Those who test positive receive information on how to stay healthy and eventually get treatment, she said.
Jack Freifelder, a Medill freshman, said he thought the talk was interesting, but students are not equipped to change the problem.
“It seems like (Cullinan’s) pledging a lot of her time, and a lot of people around her aren’t putting in the same effort,” he said.
Virginia DeLancey, a Morton Grove resident who worked in Africa for many years, said other problems facing countries dealing with HIV/AIDS include reducing stigma surrounding the diagnosis and providing additional funding for medication.
If PEPFAR’s funding is cut, newly infected South Africans may not receive necessary treatment, Cullinan said.
“(Obama) promised an increase of a billion dollars a year,” she said. “Instead, the increase was $125 million.”
Rather than covering 500,000 more people, the smaller funding increase provides for 325,000, Cullinan said. That leaves many untreated, she said.
“For every one person on the pills, two to three are getting HIV,” she said. “It’s like mopping the floor when the tap is running.”[email protected]
