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Dean's Message
South Africa: A nation at a crossroad

I recently had the privilege, along with some Rollins School of Public Health faculty members and Emory President Bill Chace, to spend two weeks in South Africa, a country with one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. We visited universities and medical centers in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. We met with public health officials, social workers, and business and governmental leaders. We also witnessed firsthand the ongoing work of RSPH faculty Keith Klugman, Ronald Braithwaite, and Priscilla Reddy—all deeply involved in combatting HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in South Africa. The groundwork was laid for future research collaborations and faculty and student exchanges as well. There is indeed much work to be done.

RSPH Dean, James W. Curran, MD, MPH It is startling to comprehend that a country one-sixth the size of ours has five times as many people with HIV and far less capacity to deal with it. After watching how we've struggled through 20 years of the AIDS epidemic here in the United States, it's sobering to imagine how South Africa can cope with this high rate of HIV infection.

At the same time, it is remarkable that South Africa—sub-Saharan Africa's only true middle-income country—has the chance to overcome its huge disparities in income while it makes a transition toward a democracy where the majority rules and minorities are protected. But there are problems, stemming from apartheid, inequities in income, and the need for additional trained people. The trick is to maintain political and economic stability while coping with AIDS and poverty.

The AIDS epidemic poses a huge threat to the nation in every way—politically, economically, and socially. An estimated 4.7 million people there are HIV positive, and the country hasn't seen the worst of it yet. The number of infected people still far exceeds those who are becoming ill and dying. But there are many people in South Africa who are able to lead the medical and scientific endeavors necessary to turn things around. For us at RSPH and the Emory Center for AIDS Research, we are challenged to work with the appropriate partners to meet the needs for HIV prevention and care in South Africa.

This issue of Public Health magazine explores how our faculty and students are working to solve imposing public health problems around the world and at home. They are advocating for Hispanic migrants in Atlanta, finding better, more humane ways to care for the elderly, and helping rid the globe of the disabling scourge of lymphatic filariasis. It's a privilege to be part of a school that is truly making the world a better—and healthier—place.


JAMES W. CURRAN, MD, MPH
Dean


Autumn 2001 Issue | In Brief | La Mano de Obra: The Hand of the Worker
Forgotten Disease of Forgotten People | Eric Ottesen Interview
Age-Old Questions | Alumni News | WHSC | RSPH
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