The 16th Annual International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto this past week (Aug 13-18, 2006)

Combatting HIV/AIDS is Goal #6 of the Millennium Dvpmt Goals, so I figured I'd blog up 3 things I learned as a result.

#1) Canada does cool things with its money.

#2) The Gates Foundation is making the fight against AIDS a priority to the tune of $500 million. Gates is even hopeful for the next big breakthrough, specifically the discovery of a microbicide or an oral prevention drug that can block the transmission of HIV. (Who knew?)

#3) Never go to South Africa if you need to be counselled or treated for HIV.

I started doing my research last Sunday when David came home from a business trip to Seoul. On his way home, he arranged a short visit to Toronto to see his son, Tyler (“the dude”). They're from there. David told me that news of the AIDS conference was everywhere. Then he gave me a quarter. We thought it was a 25-cent coin with the AIDS ribbon! I was so excited! That's such a huge commitment to a global cause!

But it was dark and I didn't look close enough... or only saw what I wanted to see... Alas, the ribbon is pink. (Breast cancer awareness). But it's still cool, so I figured I'd mention it. The Royal Canadian Mint says it does research on various themes all the time and this one kept coming up at the top, so they approached the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and rolled out 30 million of these collector coins.

Good idea.

OK, back to the AIDS conference --

Bill and Melinda Gates kicked it off. Bill said stopping AIDS is the top priority of its foundation. The Gates Foundation just announced a $500 million grant to the Global Fund, which is active in 131 countries. Gates explained the Global Fund, "gets HIV drugs to more than half a million people. It provides access to testing and counseling to nearly 6 million people. It offers basic care to more than half a million orphans."

He talked about some of the encouraging and disturbing signs in the battle against AIDS. He told this story, "On our trip to Rwanda last month, Melinda and I went to a clinic, where they showed us a picture of a thin, sickly man, clearly suffering from AIDS. I was staring at this picture when a healthy, smiling man walked into the room and said hello. It took me a minute to realize — it was the same man. This is what treatment is doing for more and more people in the developing world. We have to build on it — by seeking more funding, creating cheaper drugs with fewer side effects, and designing more practical diagnostics."

I had a similar revelation -- (BLOWN AWAY) when I came across this "before ARV and after ARV" ("Anti-retroviral" drugs) picture.

I can't upload the picture to this site, but PLEASE TAKE A LOOK! It shows exactly how ARVs are working. CLICK HERE AND GO TO GOAL #6. If you don't want to listen to the 2-minute slide show movie (11 slides), just click on Slide #8. That picture completely altered my understanding of what is possible with meds.

The "before" guy is just a skinny, sad hopeless case of someone who's going to die. The "after" guy -- one year later -- is so full of light and vibrance....I keep thinking he can work a farm now, and raise his kids so his old mom doesn't have to step into his boots.

When a reporter asked Gates how much all this would cost, Gates said, "The amount of money that's required for universal treatment or the things around prevention far exceed the amount that any individual government, certainly any foundation, can possibly provide....Obviously the AIDS epidemic is going to require all actors, particularly governments, to dig deep and make this a high budgetary priority."

Last thing I'll share about AIDS -- I went out with the account team Thursday night. (I'm at Ogilvy now). There were free drinks. I didn't eat because there were a lot of wings and I don't eat meat, but I had three red wines -- my limit before I get really stupid. My new work buddy Gretchen, I would have to say had at least four drinks, because she said she went home and cooked up a grilled cheese, plopped down with her sandwich to talk to her husband and shortly thereafter, fell off the bed.

Anyway, when I got home I flipped on the news and caught a segment on HIV treatment in South Africa. Apparently, they have access to treatment, but there's some serious misguidance in public health education. What is it? Well, the Health Minister there, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has made nutrition and natural remedies a cornerstone of her AIDS policy.

To put that in perspective, experts generally say that patients should start ARV treatment when their CD4 cell count, a measure of immune system response, drops below 350.

The minister of health, who represents government policy is telling the estimated five million South Africans who are HIV-positive that they should deal with maintaining their health if CD4 counts are higher than 200. The official prescription for doing that consists of garlic, beetroot and olive oil. If that's not working so well, try adding lemon. Obviously, that program tastes bad and is costing a lot of lives.

So, that was a big eye opener. And a downer. I was looking at this woman, the health minister, and wondering if she would be promoting the same prescription to her own baby or husband or parent if they got HIV. I don't know.

South Africa had an exhibit at the Toronto AIDS conference -- featuring displays of garlic and other natural foods along with anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. I read it was stormed by supporters of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa's most vocal AIDS activist group. Apparently, they tried to seize the garlic and other foodstuffs from the display, damaging part of the exhibit. (Policy.org.za, 8/19/2006)