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At the beginning of the and this would
emergence of AIDS, we reduce the num-
often heard that the HIV ber of orphans,
virus was different from one increase the pro-
region to another. Is this ductivity of soci-
still the case? ety and certainly
contribute to a
It is true that the HIV virus is strategy of pre-
a very complex one. We vention. When a
have, for instance, several person is infect-
versions of it. The virus you ed and has access From left Mr Pieter Piot, Executive
Director of LTNAIDS, Kofi Annan
find in West Africa is not the to medical treat-
same as that in Eastern ment, he or she is (Secretary-General of the United Nations),
Mr Sidibe and a colleague
Africa, and so on. This is the more inclined to
reason why research for a participate
vaccine is extremely com- actively in prevention cam- have 12 million children who
plex and, despite the fact that paigns. These persons do do not attend school you are
huge progress has been everything they can in order facing huge problems. These
made, a curative vaccine has for others to take the subject children do not have access to
still not been developed. more seriously. any kind of "social security"
system that would protect
I tend to think that the We are facing some very them. They might therefore
biggest difficulty is not so serious problems. When you become an easy target for ill-
much the nature of the virus, look at certain African coun- intentioned people who could
but rather how to prepare the tries today you see a serious exploit them. Many might
end up as sex-workers.
in
future generations to manage drop in life expectancy
their sexuality in a responsi- countries like Botswana,
ble manner. Each generation Zimbabwe and Swaziland. An important aspect of
has to be prepared and For instance, in Botswana African culture is family
informed about the virus, the life expectancy would have cohesion. How can we make
ways the virus is transmitted, been sixty years if the AIDS sure that this family cohesion
etc. That is an important pandemic did not exist; will continue? Up until today,
task. In order to carry it out, today it has dropped to thir- the family or the extended
you need an efficient strate- ty-seven or thirty-eight family would assume respon-
gy. My main concerns and years. The impact of this sibility for these children, but
worries are the consequences pandemic is enormous. Life what happens on the day
of globalization and human expectancy is not only a pub- when the family is no longer
migration, since the risk of lic health indicator, but it is there? We have already start-
an important pandemic is also an indicator of the eco- ed to see that family cohesion
present everywhere today. nomic development of a is vanishing, and this has
country. The consequence of important implications for the
Q: Today, how long can a this drop in life expectancy future structure of African
person who is HIV positive is that production has societies.
expect to live? dropped, that knowledge,
cultural values and the whole Personally, I tend to believe
According to the experts, if education system are suffer- that we have to start to re-
the infected person is receiv- ing. The whole State is think the questions of solidar-
ing medication, he or she can becoming weaker and weak- ity between rich and poor
easily live a normal life for er, and the development of countries, social order and
seventeen or eighteen years. society is slowing down. globalization. This pandemic
These are some of the impor- has raised so many important
However, I am really sad tant situations that we are questions. For instance, peo-
about one thing. Today, you facing due to the AIDS pan- ple receiving medication in
have a situation in Africa demic. Africa are being treated with
with 28 million HIV-infected the first-generation drugs,
persons. There are only Last year UNICEF launched whereas in Europe and other
about 350,000 persons who a campaign called "Children Western countries, people are
have access to adequate and AIDS". Today, there already using the second-gen-
medication. We know today exist 12 million AIDS eration drugs, which are more
that with medical treatment a orphans. I do not want to be efficient—but also are more
person can live much longer, pessimistic, but when you costly. In African on the other

61 2006 Diva