This past summer, I spent 11 days in South Africa and Tanzania meeting with government officials and ordinary people.  It was an eye-opening experience.  The social and economic consequences of the AIDS epidemic are severe, depriving countries of skilled workers, orphaning millions of children and reducing life expectancy by decades. 

Part of the international effort to combat AIDS includes increased resources for education about the cause of the disease, as well as information and treatment for those who are infected.  It is my hope that these efforts will prove successful.

In May 2003, President Bush signed the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act, which authorizes up to $3 billion each year through 2008 to combat the spread of the disease and provide treatment for those infected throughout the world.