Wealth and Diarrhea

My 2-year-old son has diarrhea. This is a minor annoyance to him and his parents. But this is just because we live in a rich country. In poor countries 5 to 8 million people die each year from diarrhea. Although treatment for diarrhea is inexpensive, it is beyond the means of many of the world's poor.

One of the reasons I love capitalism is that it has made my country rich enough not to fear diarrhea.

Third-world activists in rich countries put far more effort into helping AIDS victims in poor countries than diarrhea victims in poor nations. This seems irrational because we know how to cure diarrhea and the cost of treating diarrhea is much lower than the cost of treating AIDS.

I wonder if the diarrhea "ick" factor is a reason that the condition gets so little attention from activists. While AIDS ribbons are a fashion must for Hollywood, can you imagine stars wearing Diarrhea awareness pins?