America's Gift: Fighting HIV/AIDS in Uganda

As president, George W. Bush did something momentous that few of you may know about - something so momentous that it is saving millions of lives and generating good will for America around the world.

Millions of Africans who had been dying of AIDS are now living with AIDS, thanks to President Bush's program. The U.S. is providing pills to more than two million people with HIV/AIDS, people who could never afford them and who were condemned to die. The medicine not only saves their lives, it permits them to live full lives.

"60 Minutes" and correspondent Bob Simon went to Uganda, where AIDS has ravaged the country, killing more than a million people and where Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, a pioneer against AIDS, told us how grateful he is to Americans for saving his fellow Ugandans.

Full Segment: America's Gift
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Mulago Hospital Complex
Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative
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"We thank, sincerely, the American people. They are the people who are saving lives. They are the people who can be proud that lives are being saved on this continent," Dr. Mugyenyi said.

Bush created the program in 2004 with the bi-partisan backing of Congress; last year, Congress raised the funding to about $7 billion a year for the next five years.

Dr. Mugyenyi has called this the greatest aid effort in modern times. "There has never been a rescue mission, a mission of mercy of this magnitude that has produced such magnanimous results," he explained.

He told us Africans now see America differently.

"The impression that people in Africa have of America is that America is no longer the world's policeman. It is now Africa's friend. What an image," he said.

"60 Minutes" met some exuberant looking children - every one of them has HIV or AIDS. They would all be dead or dying if it weren't for America. Now they're alive and thriving.

Viola is 13. Her mother died of AIDS and she was dying from it too until she began taking those drugs provided by the United States. We met Viola at her home where she lives with her aunt.

She has to take a lot of pills every day. Asked if she never forgets taking her medication, Viola said, "I can't forget."

"I think I can die," she said, after being asked what the consequence of forgetting might be.

Viola will be fine, but Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, a pediatrician, remembers all the children who died before America came to the rescue six years ago. She had 2,000 children who needed life-saving drugs, but only enough pills to treat 30 of them. So she sent home more than 1,900 children with only vitamins and hope, a false hope because all but the 30 chosen children died.

"You were, in fact, playing God," Simon remarked.

"But we had no choice," Dr. Kitaka explained.

No choice because she had no pills. Ed Bradley saw that when he came to Uganda ten years ago and talked to Mugyenyi when the situation looked hopeless.

"In bed after bed, Mugyenyi showed us patient after patient who couldn't afford drugs either to fight the virus or the diseases it brings. This man had arrived at the hospital two weeks earlier," Bradley said in his report.

Mugyenyi told Bradley it would cost $600 a month to treat this man and patients with the drugs they need.

But the doctor explained that the man made maybe $5 or $10 a month.

"Even after pooling their resources, his family didn't have the money for treatments. They decided to take him home to die," Bradley reported.

But today generic drugs have made AIDS pills much cheaper: treating one patient for a year used to cost more than $7,000; now, it's less than $300. As HIV destroys a person's immune system leading to AIDS, patients need powerful pills, antiretrovirals they're called, or miracle pills.

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[LibertyLake]

The reported polygamy and widespread infidelity are known causes of the AIDS problem in Uganda. Why are we continuing to support these practices by providing low cost drugs. Yes, it is a good thing to help others, but we truly must help ourselves first. The billions of dollars spent to help people in Uganda is sorely needed to provide low cost health insurance and drugs for our own people, my own family.

[hateisafourletterword]

W did some good things. This was one of them.

Now why do we pay so much more for the drugs in the USA? Who do you think funded the research for these drugs we give away to Africa (and other areas)? The USA biotech and drug makers fund the bulk of it. They need to pay for this R&D (green job). How if we give it away? Well we pay more for our drugs than in Canada.

Congrats to Bush for this initiative.

The irony is that CBS today had a headline about Obama at the baseball game throwing out the "Historic" first pitch today. I beg to differ. Bush's and Congress' HIV drug plan with Africa is historic, not a baseball pitch today.

[bespen562]

As a health care provider, I find you story irresponsible by equating HIV with AIDS. Several times during the story presented by Mr. Simon, he remarks by claiming people are living with AIDS. People can live with HIV for a long time with the proper therapy. People with AIDS are at significant risk for dying due to being too weak to fight any infection and will die regardless of treatment in many cases. Many peoople with HIV do not have AIDS but those with AIDS have HIV. This blurring of terms only causes confusion and encourages people to act irresponsibly. Furthermore, it illustrates the growing ignorance regarding HIV and AIDS. This piece of jouranlism is something I would expect from a high school junior. 60 Minutes, you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing such poor journalism to exist.

[HolyVoice]

President Bush did a lot for the people of Africa, both for HIV/AIDs relief in many countries, and for supporting people in the country of Sudan during the ravages of their people during a genocide.

It just goes to show you how the government can be responsive with areas like healthcare, when there is a need defined and a way to address it. If the healthcare in the US had been passed by the Bush administration, you wouldn't hear about all this nonsense about socialized medicine and such. But Bush (and McCain) attempted to pass immigration legislation which was shot down by far right-wing GOP members. So no matter who needs help, there are others who would prevent it.

[winstrv]

I thought I was dreaming when I heard the 60 minutes report give credit to President Bush. They will be blacklisted by the loons on the left for that mistake.

[Jack Meyer--2008]

I have an idea: let's cut military funding and support people in positive ways.