Bono and Forty Cents

A recent TV ad had Bono and other celebrities talking about what 40cents can buy. A dryer sheet, a helium balloon and 2 HIV Pills. I'd like to know where 40 cents can buy medications for HIV, certainly not in this country. HIV medications cost several hundred dollars a month, not a few cents.

Maybe he was talking about the cost in Africa or other third world countries. Pharmaceutical Companies send millions of dollars of medications to other countries, yet charge Americans outrages amounts of money. This covers the cost of sending the drugs out of this country. Bono and other celebrities appear on TV and encourage us to send money to help out with the HIV epidemic in Third World Countries. While this is worthwhile endeavor, I question the ad and 40 cents.

Also, these celebrities make millions, why aren't they sending millions of dollars to Africa and other countries out of there own pockets? Why aren't they lobbying the pharmaceutical companies to donate medications, instead of charging for them?

As a member of the human race, and a member of the Health care Industry, I am concerned about the spread of HIV. I am also concerned about the cost of caring for someone with HIV, especially if they convert to full blown AIDS. It also bothers me that celebrities and others seem to think that if we throw money at it, we can fix it. In the Third World Countries we need to look at providing education on the spread of HIV and what they can do as a people to stop it. But we need to recognize that we will be fighting cultural and religious issues.

There was a time that there was truth in advertising. That time has long pasted and we need to be aware that most of the TV, radio and other media ads may be falsehoods, and or half truths. While I don't doubt Bono and the other celebrities in their advocacy for HIV and providing HIV medications. I do doubt the truth of the advertisement. We need to be more aware of where our money goes and who it goes to. Remember what happened after 9-11 and the American Red Cross. Millions of dollars were unaccounted for and to this day, the truth about where it went if unknown.