MEDIA REACTION WORLD AIDS DAY; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 002738 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA, AF/PDPA NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WORLD AIDS DAY; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "The AIDS pandemic in Southern Africa" the pro-government weekly "The Sunday Mirror" dedicated its December 1 editorial to calling for "political commitment" in the fight against HIV/AIDS, adding that "there should also be financial commitment to allocate enough money to programs of prevention and those that alleviate the suffering of infected persons." Excerpts: ¶2. "As the world commemorates World Aids Day today, the latest United Nations report on HIV/AIDS indicates that the epidemic is getting worse in Southern Africa. . .The U. N. report links the devastation of the AIDS pandemic to the current drought and famine in a number of countries in Southern Africa, and predicts more suffering for the region. . .It is estimated that more than 14 million people are now on the brink of starvation in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. . .The HIV/AIDS pandemic is real. In order for Southern Africa and indeed for Africa as a whole to win the fight against AIDS, there is need for action beyond just awareness campaigns. There must be political commitment to implement multi-sectoral national strategies to combat the spread of the disease. There should also be financial commitment to allocate enough money to programs of prevention and those that alleviate the suffering of infected persons. Above all, the fight against HIV/AIDS is not an individual fight, there is need for combined effort. Just as most African countries have national programs and strategies to deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is time to think of a SADC regional strategy to fight the disease and, eventually perhaps, an African continental plan to combat HIV/AIDS." SULLIVAN