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Are
you aware that the death rate from AIDS has plummeted throughout
the USA, including over 90 percent decreases
in many states, (b) yet AIDS still receives
10% (c) of the entire federal research budget? The bias
towards AIDS has resulted in gross differences in funding for
your diseases. For example, our government is spending $3,052 on
each AIDS patient in research versus only $72 (autism), $5
(COPD), $25 (hepatitis C), $29
(cardiovascular disease), $50 (diabetes), $182 (prostate
cancer), $144 (Alzheimer’s), $136
(Parkinson’s) and only pennies on orphan diseases (diseases
that are rare and have not been "adopted" by the pharmaceutical
industry) like cystic fibrosis, PBC (Primary Biliary Cirrhosis), MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
and Fibromyalgia.
(d)
When
one is made aware that there are sixteen diseases that kill a
million more Americans than AIDS every year one can only shout,
“That’s not FAIR!”
(h)
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The increase in funding
for AIDS since 1999 – just the increase – is greater than the 2005
budget for EVERY disease except cancer and CVD. Although the above
statistics involve disease research, one cannot help but notice
that at present AIDS funding levels, in one more year one will be
able to say, “The total amount spent on all AIDS programs is
1/5th of a Trillion dollars (e).
In addition, the $31
billion Gates Foundation is spending many billions on AIDS
research and Warren Buffet has pledged $31 billion more to Gates
for the Gates Foundation’s effort and he supports the Gate's
bias in funding for HIV/AIDS.
“But
AIDS is a pandemic and it deserves more funding!” AIDS activists
argue. What do they need: more research dollars? No, they need the
exact same thing that has resulted in the plummeting deaths
throughout America: namely,
the effective drugs
that have been developed, prevention education, harm reduction
policies (clean syringes for IV drug users) and the development
of health infrastructures so these remedies can be distributed.
I am
a proud member of
The FAIR Foundation (f) – “FAIR” stands for "Fair Allocations
in Research." Along with myself, there are thousands of others
from Maine to Hawaii who are coming together through the FAIR
Foundation to alert America on the need for change in our
government’s bio-medical research funding.
“FAIR” believes a disease’s mortality rate should be given
emphasis in determining allocations, and other secondary factors
should be utilized to insure diseases that cause great suffering
but have low mortality rates, like autism and orphan diseases, will also
receive increased (g) dollars. Research funds should not be
allocated based on Hollywood popularity or political correctness.
It is
now time to redirect funding to diseases that are more deserving
and currently receiving billions less than AIDS, including the
sixteen that kill over a million more Americans than AIDS
annually. Please endorse The FAIR Foundation’s efforts to put an
end to AIDS favoritism and recommend that all citizens
join them in demanding research funding that is fair and equitable
for all.
a.
http://www.fairfoundation.org/update.htm
b.
http://fairfoundation.org/states/hiv-aids_deaths_by_state.htm
c.
http://www.fairfoundation.org/nih.htm
d.
http://www.fairfoundation.org/factslinks.htm
e. http://www.kff.org/hivaids/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=33622
f.
http://www.fairfoundation.org/
g.
http://fairfoundation.org/factors.htm
h. http://www.fairfoundation.org/thesixteen.htm
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