Editorial: AIDS funding for research, prevention

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Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2000 | 9:34 a.m.

There are no easy answers to stem the AIDS epidemic that has plagued the African continent, but that doesn't mean other nations should concede the fight against this disease. So it was promising, then, when Vice President Al Gore told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday that the White House would ask Congress this year for an extra $150 million for vaccine research and preventive programs in Africa.

Even in public health issues such as this, national boundaries can act as barriers, with well-off nations dismissing the needs of others. Some African nations believe even more money is needed; they're right. But the Clinton administration's initiative is an important step that might prod other nations to do the same. The AIDS epidemic in Africa has been ignored for far too long.