NEW YORK (Billboard) - Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys is calling on her peers in the music industry to raise their voices to help millions suffering from AIDS in Africa.

“Just for a moment imagine the media hysteria and global outrage if 25 million Americans, many of them children, died from a treatable disease because the medicine was too costly,” Keys writes in a commentary published in Friday’s issue of Billboard magazine. “Imagine if another 42 million people were infected and had no hope of paying for life-saving treatment. … This is exactly what is happening throughout sub-Saharan Africa.”

The young R&B star burst on the music scene with her 2001 debut album “Songs In A Minor” and the hit single “Fallin,”‘ which garnered her five Grammy Awards.

Keys, who recently traveled to Africa, noted that UNAIDS (news - web sites) estimates 100 million people will be infected with the AIDS virus by the end of this decade, and that fewer than 1 percent of Africans with AIDS have access to antiretroviral treatment that has greatly improved the lives of AIDS patients in Western countries.

“The disease is more than a humanitarian catastrophe; it is a moral crisis that is beginning to destroy whole countries,” she wrote. “I believe this should be as important as the war on terrorism; as important as rebuilding impoverished countries like Afghanistan (news - web sites) or Iraq; as important as peace in the Middle East. This should be as important as if our own daughters and sons were dying.”

To that end, Keys encourages support of Keep a Child Alive, which has established treatment programs in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Rwanda. Other recording stars affiliated with the group include Rod Stewart, Good Charlotte, Cher, Nelly, Josh Groban and Avril Lavigne.

Keys will headline the Pusher’s Ball on Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day), a gala fundraiser for the organization in New York, which will also feature Roy Ayers, Babyface, Common, Anthony Hamilton, Angelique Kidjo, Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Angie Stone and “a surprise guest.” Tickets for the event at the Angel Orsanz Center range from $250 to VIP sponsorships of $50,000.