Africa activism: money for AIDS not for war; South Africa antiretrovirals.(1) Africa Action: Money for AIDS, Not for War Africa Action, based in Washington D.C., is seeking organizational endorsements for its call to give priority to the global AIDS epidemic, which will kill 3,000,000 people in the coming year. From the statement: "AIDS is an urgent wake-up call to a deeper crisis in the state of the world. The huge global inequalities that fuel this pandemic pandemic /pan·dem·ic/ (pan-dem´ik) 1. a widespread epidemic of a disease. 2. widely epidemic. pan·dem·ic adj. Epidemic over a wide geographic area. n. are de-stabilizing and they are deadly. Only racism has allowed the loss of so many lives to AIDS. Fighting a war against AIDS is the most important positive step toward building a stable future for everyone." The full statement and endorsement information are at: http://php.africaaction.org/action/moneyaids.php (2) South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. : Activists Call for Global Support in Campaign for Antiretrovirals The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC 1. TAC - Translator Assembler-Compiler. For Philco 2000. 2. TAC - Terminal Access Controller. ) and hundreds of AIDS activists in South Africa have called for international support for a new civil disobedience civil disobedience, refusal to obey a law or follow a policy believed to be unjust. Practitioners of civil disobediance basing their actions on moral right and usually employ the nonviolent technique of passive resistance in order to bring wider attention to the campaign to get their government to provide antiretroviral treatment for HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. , which is killing 600 people a day in that country. The government does not want to offer treatment because of the cost. Antiretrovirals on the private market are completely out of reach of the great majority of citizens. As a result, the average life expectancy Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. of black South Africans This is a list of notable South Africans with Wikipedia articles. Academics, Medical and Scientists
TAC has prepared documents charging the Minister of Health and Minister of Finance with homicide, and asked the police to arrest the ministers. In Durban, police used water cannons and other violence to disperse a protest, sending several TAC members to the hospital. In other cities protests occurred without incident. "We cannot wait any longer for a visible and dynamic response from the government, business and international community. We do not need any more reports to tell us what we already know -- HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is killing 600 people a day in this country and ruining lives and hopes. But with will and commitment this does not have to happen. With leadership from business and government, together with labour and communities, it is still possible to save lives and restore hope." International supporters can fax or phone the South African embassy or consulate. Also, international demonstrations in support may take place April 24 and/or April 27. For background, see the TAC site, http://www.tac.org.za/. For U.S. specifics, see the Health Gap site, http://www.healthgap.org/. |
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