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One man's crusade tackles AIDS epidemic in Africa

Lee Wildes provides surplus AIDS medications to African patients

By Don Knapp
CNN Correspondent

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- From his cramped, one bedroom San Francisco apartment, Lee Wildes almost single-handedly takes on one the biggest problems in the world: AIDS in Africa.

His weapons are discarded AIDS drugs -- surplus or leftover medications from U.S. clinics or hospitals, or from the survivors of those who died from AIDS.

"I knew, having been a nurse, I had thrown away millions and millions of dollars worth of drugs. And no nurse likes to do it," Wildes said.

Five years ago, after learning he was HIV-positive, Wildes took a vacation in Africa and saw firsthand the scale of its AIDS epidemic.

When he returned to the U.S., a telephone voice message from his sister was full of hope, describing new drugs that were prolonging the lives of HIV patients. "You're going to live," she said.

RESOURCES African AIDS Network AIDSETI     MESSAGE BOARD What more can we do to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa?     AUDIO Dr. Richard Feacham, of the UCSF Institute for Global Health, says wanting to help is a natural response to a crisis WAV sound    VIDEO CNN's Don Knapp has the story of a man's efforts to get AIDS-fighting drugs to patients in Africa Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Armed with new hope, Wildes eventually began a personal campaign to get the drugs to Africa, where the treatments can cost more than the patient's annual income.

But from his work in HIV clinics, Wildes knew it would take more than just rounding up other patients' leftover prescription drugs to battle AIDS. AZT, protease inhibitors and other medicines must be taken in carefully determined combinations to be effective.

So Wildes acts as personal case manager for 100 patients in six African countries. He consults with African doctors by mail, email and telephone, carefully fills the doctors' prescriptions, writes up the regimen to be followed and documents the medications.

"We're not just putting medicine in a box, helter skelter, and God hopes it gets to the same patient," he emphasized.

Although his African Aids Network campaign now has some funding, a medical director, small staff, board of directors, and a proper name -- AIDSETI for AIDS Empowerment and Treatment International -- Wildes still routinely spends 14-hour days filling prescriptions and documenting his work.

A bulletin board across from his cluttered shelves of partially filled drug bottles displays photos from the African clinics and hospitals Wildes visits each year.

One photo shows a man, slumped over in a chair in a clinic waiting room. "This man was so confused and disoriented, I was certain he wouldn't make it," said Wildes, "and right now, he's doing metal work, he's a steel worker doing work I couldn't do."

What Wildes is doing is illegal -- dispensing drugs without a license -- but it's not likely he'll be prosecuted for his humanitarian effort.

Considering that 25 million Africans are infected with the AIDS virus, Wildes' work with just 100 patients may seem almost insignificant. Still, Wildes gets respect.

"In the face of the enormity and horror of the epidemic, and in the face of such little action, its very natural that individuals who really care about this problem become motivated and active to do something about it," said Dr. Richard Feacham, a University of California, San Francisco, AIDS researcher and head of the university's Institute for Global Health.

Wildes says he's not only helping a few patients, but also creating a treatment model he hopes will show governments -- and drug companies -- what can be done on a global scale.

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UNAIDS
WHO Initiative on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections

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