Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Oakland, CA) issued the following statement in recognition of World AIDS Awareness Day:
“World AIDS Day is December 1 and all over the world events will be held to remember those who have died from this disease and call for bold action to eradicate the epidemic.
“Our global and national response to AIDS must be informed by the lessons we’ve learned from the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic here in the United States and abroad.
“Although recent attention has focused on the magnitude of the overestimation in prior years, 39 million people in 2006 versus 33 million this year, little has been said about what implications the revised figures by the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS might have for the global response to HIV/AIDS.
“New treatment data expected from PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria will again show a sizable increase in the number of people receiving lifesaving anti-retroviral drugs–with millions more still lining up to seek treatment.
“The issue is timely because we in Congress are currently discussing a five year reauthorization and expansion of our global HIV/AIDS programs, known more commonly as the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
“The tragic reality is that over the last seven years the President and Republicans in Congress have failed to provide the resources or the leadership to refocus and reinvigorate our response to the US HIV/AIDS epidemic to address the needs of young gay men, or communities of color.
“After a generation of living and dying with AIDS, we are once again facing an upsurge in new cases among young gay men, predominantly among African American and minority communities. In July 2003, the CDC reported for the first time in over a decade that the number of new AIDS cases had increased over prior year estimates. Across all demographic ranges, African Americans are the most likely to get infected with HIV and to die from AIDS.
“Leadership from African American organizations and faith leaders, along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus will be proposing a new initiative to stop the spread of AIDS in the African American community.
“As we sit down to re-authorize the PEPFAR program for the next five years, we cannot remain content or become complacent with our successes so far. Rather we must intensify our focus and ensure that as we act to save lives we tie our response to accurate information and ownership at the community level. And in order to be successful, we must provide the funding and the flexibility to respond in a sustained manner to those in need.
“HIV/AIDS is not going away anytime soon. We must ensure that our response toHIV/AIDS is expanded and sustained for the long term, while remaining grounded by the needs of vulnerable communities who have been impacted by this disease here at home and abroad.”
