Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Gustavo Centeno/DP Staff Photographer Stephen Lewis, former UN ambassador and special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, speaks to a crowd yesterday in Huntsman Hall.

Despite 1,000 people dying every day in South Africa from AIDS, international response is moving at a snail's pace.

Stephen Lewis, former UN ambassador, deputy executive director of UNICEF and special UN envoy for HIV/AIDS, spoke at yesterday's Penn Global Forum about both the many setbacks and achievements with regard to the disease and its spread throughout Africa.

"What is it about Africa? How can we let millions of people be considered expendable?" asked Lewis, who has over 25 years of experience handling the issues of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Lewis suggested a "subterranean racism" is responsible for the slow international response to the pandemic.

However, Lewis said he was hopeful for future success in Africa, citing recent scientific breakthroughs.

"It is fair to say we're at least a decade away from developing the vaccine for HIV/AIDS," Lewis said, but he added that scientists are working on topical ointments called microbicides that, when vaginally applied, should prevent infection.

One of the most successful methods of preventing the spread of HIV is male circumcision, which Lewis said has a 30 to 60 percent success rate in preventing disease transmission.

For Lewis, these new technologies cannot come soon enough.

He shared a number of statistics pointing to the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS of the African population.

For example, a growing number of motherless youths now live in households run either by the eldest offspring, often as young as 12 or 14, or with grandmothers, a shift that is redefining the structure of the family.

Lewis urged Penn students to get involved, suggesting they join one of the major NGOs: Act-Up Philadelphia, Save the Children, Care or World Vision.

Many Penn administrators attended the event, including Provost Ron Daniels and College Dean Dennis DeTurck, who also encouraged students to take advantage of Penn's travel abroad program in Africa.

College junior Rachel Conrad, a Health and Society major who attended the lecture, is currently preparing to study in Botswana.

Penn Med students have also recently been interning in Botswana, contributing to relief efforts and progress in the area.

College junior Katie Wolff commented that Lewis "did a really good job emphasizing what needs to be done without being depressing."

"The lecture was great," said Law School student Marium Jabyn. "I came here to know more about Africa and the response to HIV, and I learned a lot."

"His talk was persuasive, without being overbearing," Conrad said. "I can't wait to be involved next year."

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