Cases are also rising in Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. HIV/AIDS is spreading in the former Soviet states and Latin America.
Once the epidemic takes greater hold of Asia, the risk is that a similarly vicious cycle unfolds. "It's time to really break the conspiracy of silence in Asia," says Michel Sidibe, a director at UNAIDS. "It would certainly completely change the face of the pandemic in this part of the world."
Bono's taken considerable heat for his efforts, which critics think is driven more by ego than compassion. But why not give Bono some credit? What matters is that he has gotten the attention of key Americans -- like O'Neill -- who decide how much money goes toward fighting HIV/AIDS and poverty. He's won over the likes of Senator Jesse Helms, the conservative North Carolina Republican who in the past dismissed foreign aid as "a rat hole." That's no small feat.
Increased funding and more aggressive efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS could boost global growth. Anyone who thinks HIV/AIDS isn't a concern for markets ought to reconsider. Bacteria don't respect national borders and immigration controls. That's why stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS is so crucial.
Caring for the sick, dying and orphaned strains state budgets, adds to poverty, reduces labor forces and boosts crime. Social and economic unrest can devolve into violence and civil wars into which allies and neighbors can be drawn. This can have implications for markets. If such instability travels to more developed markets -- like those in Asia -- more investors will feel the effects.
Bono once sang that he still hadn't found what he was looking for. When it comes to dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, let's hope he does.
RSS