We'd give money if they had more clocks
December 1, 2003 8:57 AM Subscribe
"They do not use Western means to tell time. They use the sun. These drugs have to be administered in certain sequences, at certain times during the day. You say, take it at 10 o'clock, they say, what do you mean, 10 o'clock?" They, of course, refers to "Africans" and the above logic from the head of USAID was used an explanation for why it's tough to extend AIDS treatment to Africa. The only problem with this argument is that it's wrong. People with HIV in developing countries are in better compliance with drug regimes than in the US as new research is showing [RealAudio]. As we've seen throughout the epidemic, it's a lot easier to get funding for researchers in lab coats than for actual treatment . . .
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I suspect folks may have clicked on the first link and thought "old news, lousy post" or some such.
But that's to be expected from a FPP that failed to lead with recent material (and would alternatively have led with the recent, but unscannable audio link) and didn't include a stimulating call for discussion. For example, maybe something along the lines of: How have cultural misperceptions shaped the fight against AIDS? Or perhaps, picking up a central theme of the NPR report, a rant: So can we just come clean here? We know how to provide effective treatment for AIDS, but we're just not doing it.
In any event, I do hope this poster has learned some valuable lessons today. I'll refrain from further criticism lest I risk coming off like I'm making an ad hominem attack.
posted by donovan at 9:35 PM on December 1, 2003