FAS tackles international epidemics

from the Johns Hopkins News Letter

By Colin Ray

Four public health experts from around the world gathered in the Glass Pavilion on Wednesday to present their own work on global epidemics and to tout the need for continued dialogue and action on AIDS and malaria as part of the Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS).

Randall Packard presented first on the prevalence of malaria and the challenges in combating globally. The focus of his presentation was the feasibility of eradicating malaria. Packard is the William H. Welch Professor of History of Medicine at the School of Public Health and specializes in the social history of health and disease in Africa as well as the history of international health.

"Malaria breeds in conditions of poverty, warfare, social dislocation, deteriorating health services and disease that remain a part of daily life in much of Africa," he said.

"Conditions in Africa make it unlikely we can completely eradicate malaria. Getting it under control is possible. Not a very optimistic viewpoint, but it leaves us open to discuss what can be done."

He cited increases in funding and better technologies, such as pesticidal bed nettings, as changes that have been and will continue to be important in fighting the disease.

Nizam Ahmed, the director of the HIV/AIDS program and South Asia program advisor of Save the Children, a non-governmental organization, presented on the successes of fighting AIDS in Bangladesh. Save the Children's aggressive education and prevention efforts have kept AIDS in check in Bangladesh, a country surrounded by nations with high HIV/AIDS prevalence.

"The problem was identified in a timely manner, recognized bygovernment and action has been facilitated by NGOs," he said in explaining the success of his program.

Save the Children has taken a multi-faceted approach in fighting the disease, covering everything from mass media advertising to creating awareness to getting religious leaders on board with "declaring war on HIV/AIDS," Ahmed said.

"We are trying to utilize our experiences, but we still have a long way to go," he said. "This is an exciting opportunity for a national program to bring issue into the light for young people, and to pass on experiences. We all need to show our support and express our commitment for the next generation that we are going to have to live with."

The penultimate presenter was Donald Henderson of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Biosecurity. Henderson spearheaded a task force with the United States government in the 1960s who, with cooperation from the Soviet Union and other countries, helped publicly eradicate smallpox. He stressed, however, that the work is not done yet.

"The Soviet Union's bioweapons program amassed over twenty tons of smallpox, and with the breakup of the U.S.S.R., the 50,000 workers in the program were cut off and dispersed. The fact that this smallpox is unaccounted for is a still a major concern," he said.

Nicole Cheetham, the director of the International Division of Advocates for Youth, presented on the challenges her group faces in helping adolescents make responsible, informed reproductive health choices.

"Our group's motto is 'rights, respect and responsibility.' Young people should have the right to information and contraceptives, the respect of others regardless of their lifestyle and the responsibility to make good decisions," she said.

Her group focuses not only on health issues but also in fighting homophobia and the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. She called on students to take action in supporting science-based reproductive health education.