Fighting AIDs by tackling TB

World Aids Day, occurring yearly on Dec. 1, is a misnomer. It is not a one-day event. How could a disease that has infected 40 million people and orphaned millions of children be a one-day event?

Individuals and agencies work on a daily basis year round, both globally and locally, to address the AIDS pandemic. Dec. 1 is one day to come together as a community to acknowledge the pandemic, but every day is a day to take action. By its nature of weakening the immune system, the AIDS condition is intimately inter-twined with many other diseases. Globally, tuberculosis, a preventable and curable disease, is the leading killer of people living with HIV/AIDS. While there are many opportunistic infections that can lead to death when one has AIDS, TB accounts for up to a third of all AIDS deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

In Africa, as little as $16 per day can save a human life through the treatment of TB. Access to TB treatment for all those co-infected can have an enormous impact on reducing deaths of people living with HIV/AIDS, and there is almost no better entry point for identifying individuals who need anti-retroviral therapy than expanding TB services and linking those with HIV testing and counseling.

People living with HIV/AIDS around the world need adequate health care, sufficient and balanced caloric intake, and support from others in their community. Recently, Dr. Paul Farmer and Stephen Lewis, both global leaders addressing the AIDS pandemic, highlighted the essential link between nutrition and the effectiveness of HIV medications.

Our Snohomish County HOPWA (Helpers of People with AIDS) program recognizes the importance of assisting people living with HIV/AIDS by providing nutritional meals, along with education, fellowship and support services.

Last month, caring individuals from our neighborhoods came together to learn more about the complexities of the AIDS pandemic. This event benefited the AIDS Project Snohomish County and the Snohomish County RESULTS group.

The evening highlighted local individuals living with AIDS, as well as advocates who are creating a positive impact on families affected by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The vision of these two organizations was to instill a sense of hope along with a call to action.

The AIDS pandemic is not an insurmountable challenge. There are effective actions we can take today that will make a difference.

One action would be to address the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which does not adequately address the TB and HIV/AIDS co-infection crisis. The World Bank has a $1.2 billion program to fight AIDS in Africa, and yet spends only about $3.5 million per year fighting TB.

Our congressional representatives are key to changing these numbers. By educating your member of Congress about the lethal connection between TB and AIDS, they can advocate to immediately increase resources for basic TB control in Africa, and address other factors in the AIDS crisis.

As Nelson Mandela said at the 2004 AIDS Conference in Bangkok, "We are calling on the world to recognize that we can't fight AIDS unless we do much more to fight TB as well."

Recognizing the deadly links between TB and HIV/AIDS and addressing them in tandem is one of the most promising ways to make gains against both diseases.

This World AIDS Day, join other individuals who genuinely care, not only about the global pandemic, but our local HIV/AIDS community.

The global and local faces of AIDS may have their differences, yet the same principles apply for services. Namely, it's about the provision of more equitable health care, nutrition, education and opportunity.

To learn more about World AIDS Day events or to act on a resolution to volunteer, visit the AIDS Project Snohomish County Web site (www.aidsprojectsnocounty.org).

Jeannine Fosca is a member of Snohomish County RESULTS, a board member of AIDS Project Snohomish County, and a board member of KidsDream of Snohomish County. Teresa Rugg is the volunteer group leader of Snohomish County RESULTS, a grassroots advocacy organization working to end hunger and poverty (more information, www.results.org).