Marshall Matz of the Friends of the World Food Program (WFP) has written a timely article on nutrition in the fight against AIDS.
Here is the the article courtesy of Marshall Matz and the Friends of WFP:
December 1 marks World AIDS Day - a day that acknowledges the global challenge of HIV/AIDS, which has claimed the lives of millions. Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is steadily crumbling under the burden of the HIV virus. Approximately 10 percent of the world's population resides in the region and two-thirds of all HIV/AIDS cases can be found there. Life expectancy is about 50 years in many of the 47 sub-Saharan African countries.
Although these facts may be overwhelming, an effective tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS can be found in our most fundamental resource: food. Feeding hungry HIV/AIDS patients and their families has long-term benefits. If we can help sub-Saharan African countries overcome HIV/AIDS through nutrition programs, the possibilities of success are endless.
The promise of a prolonged and healthy life for HIV/AIDS patients lies in anti-retroviral treatment (ARVs) - a proven lifeline for over 20 million people living with the virus in sub-Saharan Africa. The human body must be well-nourished for this medication to work to its maximum effect. For example, in Eldoret, Kenya, medical doctors have been forced to start farming to grow the food necessary for ARVs to work. It is an extraordinary effort, but not the best use of their medical degree.
When patients stop treatment because their bodies can't tolerate the strong drugs without food, they are not the only ones to suffer - their families and communities do too. HIV/AIDS is partially responsible for the drastic reduction in many countries' workforces. Untreated, the virus leaves its victims physically drained and too weak to get out of bed. A sick person cannot earn the money necessary to provide food for the family. Parents who must quit their jobs and lose their only source of income often pull their sons and daughters out of school. These children are forced to work for meager wages instead, and many of them will not complete their education.
These tragic consequences demonstrate that the negative impacts of HIV/AIDS can reach the patient's relatives, which is why providing food to all family members is critical as well. One of the best examples of this type of support is the school meals program. Providing food to children who attend school in poor countries increases attendance, particularly among girls. When girls attend school the birth rate decreases and the HIV/AIDS rate declines too.
Too many people across sub-Saharan Africa face this vicious cycle, which leaves children orphaned and uneducated, communities struggling economically and national governments looking to other countries for assistance. The United States and the world community are doing much to fight HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, but the current effort must be strengthened.
Sub-Saharan Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic should be reason enough for us to take action, but a confluence of global events makes now the perfect time to get serious about ending this humanitarian horror. By and large, these 47 nations have positive feelings towards the United States - and the election of President Barack Obama only reinforces the strong cultural bonds that already existed. Multinational companies based in the United States are increasingly opening branches in Africa, creating solid business partners for the future. In the face of instability and terrorism, creating and building political and economic alliances are in both their best interest and ours.
We can start this process by continuing and expanding U.S. support of HIV/AIDS relief in sub-Saharan Africa and requiring a nutrition component in these efforts. Food aid that is delivered in bags declaring "From the American People" is the very best possible form of foreign assistance.
contributed by Marshall Matz. Matz is the founding Chairman of Friends of WFP. He is a partner with the law firm of Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC in Washington, DC.
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