AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, June 25, 2007
Staff Medical Writers

"While we at AIDS Action Council appreciate that this reverses the reduction in HIV/AIDS federal funding in recent memory, it's still not enough to keep pace with the growing infection rate, especially in communities of color, or to address the treatment and care needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in our country," said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director, AIDS Action Council. "We've always maintained that current funding amounts are not sufficient to ensure that life-saving drugs and medical treatment is available to all who are infected. Appropriations have fallen far short over the last several years while the epidemic is growing with an estimated 40,000 new HIV infections every year. The reality is we need significantly more funding. We reinforce our previous call for full funding and our prior promise to work with Congress to make sure that additional resources are made available. Today's measure is a promising start; however, it falls short of meeting the challenges of a still growing domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. We need to do more."

There are an estimated half a million people in the U.S. who are infected with HIV but are not in medical care. Half of that number, an estimated 250,000 people, is unaware of their HIV status. People under 25 years of age account for approximately half of new HIV infections.

"With the continuing vulnerability to HIV infection and STDs among adolescents and young adults, it is outrageous that the subcommittee is recommending a $27.8 million increase for the repeatedly discredited abstinence-only programs. This dismisses science-based evidence that these programs lack effectiveness. The recommended funding increase for domestic HIV prevention leaves woefully little for intervention programs that are urgently needed to lower high rates of new infections among women and gay and bisexual men of color. The President has rightfully called for a significant increase in our commitment to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. We cannot leave people living with HIV/AIDS or those at risk here in our own country behind," Haag added.

AIDS Action Council is a Washington non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS and that helped to create and ensure passage of the original Ryan White CARE Act in 1990 and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 last December.

AIDS Action strives to end the HIV epidemic by advancing public policies that prevent new infections, provide care for people living with HIV, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action serves as the national voice for AIDS service organizations, health departments, and a diverse network of community-based organizations across the country that provide services for people living with or affected by HIV infection.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Epidemiology, HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Outbreaks, Virology, AIDS Action.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

2007-06-25
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