Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists . In what many public health experts consider to be a turning point in the fight against AIDS and HIV, President Bill Clinton has declared the world AIDS epidemic a threat to U.S. national security. But if the American government's perspective represents two steps forward, recent statements by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki can only be viewed as taking one step back. Estimates are that 1 in 10 people in South Africa are infected with HIV, with much higher rates in other African countries. The virus can be passed by sexual contact, and for some reason passes from women to men at higher rates of efficiency than has been observed so far in the West.
Spouses can easily infect each other, and mothers can pass the infection on to their children.
As adults become sick and die, they consume scarce medical resources and leave behind orphaned children. This cycle devastates individuals and families, and in the process, undermines already shaky economies. When leaders speak, citizens listen These are all real concerns for the leaders in the developing world, who must chart a course for their countries. They must decide how much of their limited health care funds to spend on treatment or prevention of infectious diseases, prenatal care, vaccinations, and many other needs. Holding minority views is the right of all individuals, but positions of leadership carry special responsibilities.