B
eing able to witness a pandemic
like COVID-19 in our lifetime
has been both a dream and a
nightmare for me. For many public health
students, a real-life pandemic is everything
our education has been building toward.
In every class, we are reminded of our
predecessors who created the polio vaccine
and eradicated the source of cholera way
back when. We are constantly empowered
to work for communities that are the most
vulnerable and under-served. We aim to
uplift the voices of those that may be hidden
by systematic oppression. Yet when news of
the virus coming to the state of Michigan
came, I found that many of us were quiet.
No matter if you’re in public health,
medicine or any other field, the COVID-
19 pandemic scares every single one of us.
We’re all human. As public health students,
we realize the importance of social isolation;
of flattening the curve; of making sure that
our health systems and hospitals are not
given more than they can take. But at the
same time, the human in me is still stressed,
confused and helpless.
Every day, as I slog through hours of
online classes, I look back at all the times I
took my life for granted—seeing my friends
every day, not having to worry whether
someone in my family has been exposed,
being able to go about my day as I normally
would. Not finishing the semester out is one
thing, but being removed from our lifestyles
has left many of us in a state of shock. I’ve
learned that this “disturbance” is the cause
of my newfound constant exhaustion and
lack of motivation.
My heart aches as I see all the stories
on Twitter or on the news. Every time I
FaceTime a friend, I’m being told of more
heart-wrenching narratives. It hurts to see
photos of vulnerable populations, like the
elderly and those who cannot afford to buy
in bulk in grocery stores, looking so helpless
when they see nothing on the shelves. It
hurts to see videos of people whose parents,
aunts, uncles and loved ones are dealing
with the virus. This pandemic is bigger than
anyone ever imagined it to be.
Students are being hurried off of campus,
even if they don’t have the means to do so,
as fast as everything is occurring. A huge
disparity still remains between those who
are actually being tested and those who are
not. Every day more celebrities announce
they’ve been tested for the virus, while
regular people are not. Many still have to
go to work to pay their bills because they
cannot afford to give that money up to stay
home; unpaid leave is not an option.
COVID-19 has made me realize my
privilege and I encourage everyone to
realize theirs too. You don’t have to be a
public health major to see how important
it is for us to take care of each other, to keep
in touch or to reach out to those who may
be struggling during these times. These are
times for solidarity.
This pandemic motivates me to see how
impactful the public health field can be and
how it facilitates change so fast. The biggest
thing about public health is that, if we do our
work well, you won’t see the effects of the
issue later. Though COVID-19 has already
destroyed the lives of many, I am hoping that
we all can prevent it from getting worse for
others dealing with it or who are susceptible.
It’s the least we can do for humanity. It
is both a dream and a nightmare, but I’m
hoping that I can wake up soon and it’ll be
over as fast as it started.
4 — Friday, April 10, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
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Cheryn Hong
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SANIA FAROOQ | OP-ED
Facing COVID-19 as a public health student
Sania Farooq is junior in the School
of Public Health and can be reached at
sffarooq@umich.edu.
T
he
nation’s
43rd
president, George W.
Bush, is a polarizing
figure. In foreign affairs, the
most well-known part of his
legacy is probably his decision
to
pursue
military
action
in Iraq and that will, in all
likelihood, remain the thing
for which he is known best.
However, it is important to
consider that this is only part
of his legacy in international
affairs.
Another part of it is the role
America played to address the
AIDS crisis in Africa. Former
President Bush pushed for the
establishment of the President’s
Emergency
Plan
For
AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR). This is an
initiative to address the global
health crises surrounding HIV/
AIDS that has, to this date,
spent more than $90 billion on
this crisis since 2004.
Bush rose to office as a
different kind of conservative.
He
was
a
“compassionate
conservative” — he wanted
to use the government to
improve the general welfare
and PEPFAR was one way in
which he did that. Bush’s
interest in Africa came from a
1990 visit to The Gambia with
his wife, Laura Bush, and in
the lead up to his decision to
enter the race, then-advisor
(and future Secretary of State)
Condoleeza Rice pressed Bush
to make addressing the AIDS
epidemic in Africa a serious
part of his foreign policy
legacy. This 1998 conversation
proved far more prescient than
either of the participants could
have imagined.
Bush
announced
the
program in his 2003 State of
the Union Address, though
it was overshadowed by the
fact that this speech also
featured justifications for the
invasion of Iraq. The project
was one owned by Bush — he
was willing to stick his neck
out for additional money from
Congress if he saw results. As
it happened, the results he saw
were incredibly encouraging.
PEPFAR has saved the lives
of millions and improved the
lives of millions more and to
his credit, it has done it in an
effective, efficient manner —
it prevented deaths from HIV
for under $2,500 per death
prevented. Though it is an
AIDS program, some studies
have suggested that it reduced
the odds of death by 20 percent
in general in countries where
it existed. Further, it has
directly reduced tuberculosis
infections and deaths.
In today’s discussion around
COVID-19, much attention is
paid to how former President
Barack Obama handled Ebola.
I agree that Obama’s work was
commendable there. However,
in the global health arena, one
place Obama left something to
be desired was with regards to
PEPFAR. Obama and his team
created budgets that “slashed
hundreds of millions of dollars
from PEPFAR.” Unfortunately,
President Donald Trump has
gone further here and has
released budget proposals with
“$1.35 billion in cuts to the
President’s
Emergency
Plan
for AIDS Relief.” Both of these
presidents have cut and increased
funding to different programs,
as has been their prerogative.
However, this goes to show
why Bush deserves credit for
PEPFAR. It was his prerogative
and should be recognized as
such, especially in light of its
exemplary results.
PEPFAR was a way for
America to lead in the global
health arena. The AIDS crisis
ravaged America in the 1980s
and the initial response by the
government was a subject of
criticism then and widespread
denunciation now. PEPFAR
was a chance to reverse this
issue and Bush seized the
issue to show why America
deserved to lead the world in
global and public health and
how exactly it would go about
doing so. Because of American
leadership regarding AIDS, an
AIDS-free generation is within
sight and PEPFAR has played
a large role in getting to this
point.
However, there must be more.
Thankfully, cuts to PEPFAR
were
rejected
by
Congress
under Obama and Trump and
in both cases, funding was set at
levels beyond those requested
by
the
president.
This
is
something but isn’t enough.
Bush may have been an unlikely
catalyst for a public health
revolution but he very clearly
was one — the results do not
lie. Today, however, that kind
of compassionate conservatism
and
desire
for
American
leadership doesn’t exist as it
did under Bush and the nation,
world and public health are
all worse for it. PEPFAR is an
example of America at its best.
Like other programs, such as
the Marshall Plan or the Berlin
Airlift, it is proof that when
American leadership decides
to accomplish a goal, that goal
will be accomplished. Bush
wanted to make his mark with
AIDS, and it is hard to argue
that he didn’t.
How George W. Bush addressed a different public health crisis
ANIK JOSHI | COLUMN
Anik Joshi can be reached at
anikj@umich.edu.
LEENA GHANNAM | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT LZGHANNA@UMICH.EDU
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