Dr Eli Perencevich, from the University of Iowa, ran the funding numbers for 2007: grants awarded from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to for HIV and AIDS was $US1.24 billion; for all forms of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, it was just $US180 million. Those figures come to $US69,000 per AIDS death (18,000 total); for MRSA, a particularly virulent and resistant strain that killed 18,650 people in 2007, it was just $US570 per death.
Everyone’s quick to say that we don’t value one human life over another, but looking at the money, isn’t that kind of what we’re doing? [Wired via Boing Boing]
Image: Shutterstock/Olena T
Nodeity
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 12:52 PMI’m just a humble antipodean, but lets face it, the only reason that AIDS has such high funding is because of the size of their very strong and noisy lobby group…! It’s the reason guns are nearly impossible to eradicate in the US… heh,.. gun nuts…. Anyway, the point is, the squeaky wheel gets the oil..!!
StevoTheDevo
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 1:05 PMThere’s no money in finding a solution to a (predominantly) 3rd world problem like AIDS.
Hence it’s justified that more public money goes to funding research there.
MRSA (Methycillin Resistant Staphyococcus aureus) on the other hand is a 1st world problem (pretty much exclusively seen where antibiotic use has been wanton, ie not in the 3rd world where you’re lucky to find antibiotics).. plenty of money up for grabs to whoever finds the solution and as such research in that area is left to the multinational drug companies.
ThatGuy
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 1:23 PMIts not completely true that antibiotic resistant bacteria is a first world problem.
A lot of developed countries have developed the concept of antibiotic stewardship where antibiotics are as possible restricted to usable when indicated.
Conversely in third world countries such as India and Russia a lot of heavily resistant and difficult to treat organisms are emerging due to the sporadic and unregulated use of antibiotics.
huu
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 3:02 PMThe obstruction or slow down of Medical/Scientific advancement can basically trace back to Money, Politics and/or religion. And the one with the most Money, Highest Political or Religious power usually are not the brightest spark.
Flux
Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 9:57 PMSurely we need to acknowledge that the whole reason there are antibiotic resistant bacteria in the first place is that we placed an environmental constraint in bacteria and the bacteria evolved through natural selection to resist our constraint. It follows that any attempt to eradicate the new strains will likely result in newer, even more resistant bacteria. Thus, money isn’t being spent here because the real fix is to be more judicious with prescribing our current medications so there’s less driving the bacteria to evolve.
taylor
Friday, July 8, 2011 at 9:49 AMAt adelaide uni micro Bio lab, we grow super viruses! One girl got infected and to show her stupidity when the doctor gave her a type she new it was immune to she didn’t say a thing, or even ask for a different (its all a bit secretive) then the paramedics had to cut a whole in her throat when she ccouldnt breath